Duty, Honor, and Truth
by Tyrchon
Summary: Young Naruto believes himself alone with no family, he is wrong. Learning the ways of his mother the young boy will embark on a mysterious adventure that could destroy both him and Konoha. What will he do when confronted by his clan's legacy? Slight AU.
1. Prologue: Origin

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

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_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Prologue - Origin**_

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___This verse is the beginning.  
We fear not death as the Shinigami has forged and blessed us.  
From darkness were we created, to darkness shall we return.  
Our mission is clear, shinobi shall we be, guardian spirits of the realm.  
Fitting is this path for we are darkness and shadow given flesh.  
Let all who oppose us beware._

___-Shugorei Hideki_  
'_The beginning'_  
"_The Shugorei Chronicles"_

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Night was settling quickly, the haze of dusk already beginning to fade as the camp seemed to come alive with the hustle and bustle of its occupants. Many quickly moved about in preparation of the evening meal, making sure food was being properly cooked and the large kegs of drink were tapped correctly so that not a drop was wasted. A nervous tension seemed to permeate the air, though the only faint twitch of an eye or the quick snap of a command showed that it was at all affecting those who had busied themselves with maintaining the seamless order that was required. Part of the nervousness could be accredited to the fact that the occupants of the camp were handling food and supplies that had been taken nearly a month prior in a raid and would only last for one or two more if they rationed carefully, but this was truly of little concern as they had been raiding and foraging supplies before even the oldest person of the camp had been born nearly sixty years ago. No, the cause of the tension that gripped the camp centered about the large tent that formed the hub of the camp and the loud voices that filtered through its walls of rough canvas. 

The tent was the largest within the camp and made of rough canvas cloth that had been dyed a rusty brownish-red. The sound of raised voices slipped through the slits of the door coverings and one could see a large group of individuals sitting, standing, and arguing within its confines through those same slits.

The hard look and steely resolve seen within the eyes and countenance of theses men and women would tell more than the armor and swords that they wore that these were true warriors. Their age and appearance differed as some were within the age of adolescence while others had the ravages of time openly displayed upon their faces. Currently the greatest amount of noise was coming from two men at the center of the gathering as many of the others that had gathered watched in a mix of amusement, contempt, and boredom.

One individual that was trying hard to pay attention was one of the younger members of the crowd of warriors. The boy, for he was in the many stages of adolescence, was not overly big but when standing was an average five feet tall, though to the boy he felt very short and did not like the good natured ribbing he received about his height. Possessing platinum blond hair with smoky gray eyes the boy did not surprisingly stand out because of those features, mainly due to the fact that those around him in the gathering had a myriad assortment of traits and features. Yet probably the thing that would separate the boy the most was the intense way his eyes shown as he watched the debate that was currently progressing into a shouting match.

Shugorei Jinjiro was all of thirteen years of age, yet he had been a full warrior of the clan for nearly two years now and within those two years he had already shed the blood of those deemed to be opponents of the clan. To say he no longer held any fear though would be a misgiving as he listened intently to the arguments being made amongst the warriors of Clan Shugorei. Raised voices and the tight grip on swords were causing the uneasy tension that had been present at the beginning of the discussion to be elevated to a level where blood may be spilled. The thought of blood and death was not what scared Jinjiro, rather it was the thought that the blood would come from the ending of the life of one of his own relatives is what held the young Shugorei in such a state. Nervously glancing at the others that were gathered within the stifling confines of the main tent, Jinjiro's thoughts went to the man sitting in the position of authority and power as Lord Shugorei, his eldest brother Hohiro.

The position of lord had fallen on Hohiro's shoulders almost five years ago when Shugorei Takashi and his wife, Shugorei Naomi, had fallen not in battle but to a disease that had ravaged the ranks of the clan. Hohiro as the eldest child of Takashi, who had been lord at the time, was one of the few considered for the position. Now at the age of twenty-eight Hohiro bore the full weight of the Shugorei upon his shoulders as the clan faced a momentous decision that would decide the fate of Clan Shugorei for generations to come.

"And I say that you are blind if you cannot see the danger that gathers about us as we speak!"

The booming voice brought Jinjiro back from his musings and into the present as he quickly identified the voice as belonging to his other brother, Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi was the second child of Takashi and Naomi, though he towered over his elder brother by nearly a foot and a half. Such a thing would not be that unbelievable except Hohiro stood at a respectable five feet ten inches in height. Hideyoshi was considered to be a mountain of a man, but the difference in height and muscle mass was one of the few things that marked him as being different from his brothers. All three possessed the light platinum blond hair and smoky grey eyes that had been inherited from their mother and the hard, clean shaven facial features of their father.

"We stand poised upon the greatest decision of the Shugorei since the ending of the Empire nearly three centuries ago and you continue to bring up such ridiculous thoughts," Hideyoshi continued with seemingly little regard to the person he was addressing. "One would think that you had let your brain wither away Minobu-jisan."

"I assure you that my brain is fine and would contend that your youthful ignorance has clouded your own if you find my objections to be ridiculous," countered Shugorei Minobu with a slight tinge of anger. "My brother, your father, would never have allowed our clan to fall into such disgrace that we would need to consider such courses of action."

Jinjiro could only grind his teeth as he heard the remark made by his uncle. Looking to Hohiro he was surprised to see his brother did not even seem to have noticed the remark and sat as serenely as he had since the beginning of the debate. Jinjiro could only credit this to the teachings that had been instilled in Hohiro by their father.

Shugorei Takashi had been adamant when explaining the role of the lord of the clan. While the lord was the head and ultimate authority of the clan he must balance himself. The lord had to be both warrior and diplomat, exercising military prowess upon the field of combat yet allowing for the airing of grievances by the rest of the clan through the use of council meetings. The lord could not interfere in every situation or he would be seen as being too aggressive in regulating the workings of the clan. At the same time the lord could not be too disconnected or he would be viewed as lazy and uncaring about the workings of the clan. Either case could be called upon as grounds for removal and the instatement of a new lord through either a combat duel or a vote held before all of the members of the clan, not only the warriors who made up the ruling echelon. Politics within the Shugorei were a complicated affair and Hohiro was now at the center as the current ruling lord.

"Before either of you have another outburst I think it would be good for you to both think of what is at the core of this debate," Hohiro calmly stated. "The both of you make your arguments, yet are beginning to get off track again."

It never failed to impress Jinjiro when his eldest brother was able to redirect the arguments that occurred within the clan. What was even more impressive was that it was all done without Hohiro raising his voice or implying an insult to either of the arguing parties.

"You are right Tono, forgive me for my outbursts," Minobu calmly apologized as he slightly bowed his head in respect. "I would also ask your forgiveness Hideyoshi, as you are simply seeking to preserve our clan."

"There is nothing to forgive ojisan as you are also seeking to preserve the clan," replied Hideyoshi with his own slight bow.

Jinjiro felt the tension of the gathering relax greatly with this simple exchange and could only hope that the debate would remain civil now that Hohiro had calmly put his foot down upon the petty insults that were distracting many of the gathered Shugorei men and women from the real issue.

"Good," remarked Hohiro as he sensed the tension of the situation to have abated. "Now we must redirect ourselves to the issue at hand, should Clan Shugorei accept the offer of alliance to form a new ninja village based within the Country of Fire?"

Hideyoshi immediately seemed to step forward to offer his argument yet again, though this time he seemed to be calmer and more in control of his thoughts and words as he began, "We should accept this offer of alliance. It will gain for us a true home once again and allow the clan to prosper. We have felt the losses of many warriors and though I am displeased to say it we do not have the strength to remain independent for much longer. The raiding that we have brought ourselves to do has kept our warrior edge sharp, but eventually it will dull as we will lack the challenge that actual war brings. Joining to form a village would not only allow us to maintain our traditions, but would allow us many opportunities for glory and honor. This new village will undoubtedly have to fight for its very survival and with the Shugorei at its core it cannot help but survive and grow. Also, it will give us access to much needed resources and trade skills that we currently lack."

Jinjiro nodded his head as a sign of agreement as Hideyoshi retook his seat to await rebuttal arguments. He could not help but agree with Hideyoshi. Much of his agreement though stemmed from the fact that he wished to fight in a real war, not these petty supply raids. He had heard many of the eldest members of the clan speak about the great battles that had occurred before his own birth and wished to inscribe his own name into a legendary battle.

Jinjiro had read 'The Chronicles', the written history of his clan, just as every other Shugorei had and could not help but be amazed as the passages detailed how the clan had fought to form and maintain The Empire millennia ago, how the clan had descended upon those who had attempted to usurp the throne after deceiving the clan nearly three hundred years ago, and the wars of succession that had carved up the remnants of The Empire into the Elemental Countries during the passage of those last three centuries. The only passages that the young teen did not find so thrilling were those that dealt with the splitting of the clan during the last two hundred years. The clan had come to call that period under the dubious title of 'The Schism'. Even now many of the clan felt a shiver run up their spine when they thought back to the period of three way civil war that had decimated the ranks of the clan. The conflict had turned the clan against its self and pitted father against son, brother against sister, and wives against husbands. When the conflict ended roughly fifteen years prior to Jinjiro's own birth the Shugorei were a shell of there former glory. The Shugorei ranks had been thinned to the point of leaving the clan almost unable to defend itself from organized bands of opponents. The clan had lost almost all of its holdings and wealth because it had focused upon its own internal conflict rather than the conflicts by the lords and ladies of the Elemental Countries. Now the clan had little except the elite skills that ran throughout its members and the wealth and goods that had been preserved in sealing scrolls kept by the line of differing lords of the clan over time.

Jinjiro could attest to the hard times the clan was under by simply looking at the armor and clothing worn by the assembled warriors of the clan. Though the armor had all been painted a uniform matte black that held little shine and reflected almost no light, the armor itself was a hodge-podge of styles and sizes. The clan, years ago during its peak, had many members that specialized in creating the custom shinobi armor that kept the clan's warriors safe. However, the centuries of war had stripped that set of skills away as many of the non-combatant civilians of the clan were lost. Now the armor worn by the clan was what was seized in supply raids and scrounged from the battlefield, often it was modified samurai armor that was quickly reconstructed to fit a Shugorei warrior. Jinjiro's own armor had been procured in such a manner and only with the help of his elder brothers had he been able to modify the bulky armor to fit his small adolescent frame. Even the white coat worn around the armor of Hohiro, signifying his rank as lord, had been modified from a bolt of white silk that had been captured by their father decades ago.

Once again Jinjiro felt himself pulled from his musings by the debate, thought this time he was surprised to see that it wasn't his uncle Minobu that was leading the counterargument to Hideyoshi, but rather Minobu's daughter, Mai who was only a year older than Jinjiro himself.

Mai looked similar to her father, sharing his short, light brown hair, but more importantly she had his sharp wit and tongue. The fact that she would challenge a more senior member of the clan in a council debate spoke towards her possessing either a great deal of confidence or a great deal of foolishness. Jinjiro would guess the latter and allowed himself a slight smirk as he saw Minobu twitch in annoyance when Mai managed to rise and begin speaking before he had a chance to continue debating Hideyoshi.

"Pardon me Hideyoshi-itoko, but while your words may sway many who wish for the glory and power our clan once held I perceive something else behind your words," Mai began with a slight condescending tone. "The Shugorei have never bent the knee to anyone, even when we protected the power of the Empire centuries ago we were allowed to act as an independent group and held in a position of equality with the emperors and empresses themselves. Your proposal would have us become subjects of the Daimyo of Fire Country. What is to stop those you would have us ally with from turning on us and making us into servants and slaves? No, better to be dead and free than be well off and confined to a cage like a pet!" Mai snapped quickly. "The Shugorei have always been free and we should continue to remain so and seek a country that will belong solely unto us."

Mai had made a fine point and many of the assembled warriors acknowledged her point of independence as it had long been held as a central part of Shugorei philosophy. However, it seemed that Mai was not content to leave her argument resting upon such a high point and cut off another Shugorei before he could offer his own thoughts.

Looking straight at Hideyoshi before shifting her gaze to fall completely upon Hohiro, Mai began to speak once again. "I would think that the one who is supposed to implement the traditions of our clan would have greater wisdom in making sure that our sovereignty is upheld, yet it seems you are quiet on theses matters. Have you lost the will to fight and seek only to become a lapdog to some upstart lord wanting to increase his holdings? Maybe you no longer have what is needed to lead this clan and new leadership should be preferred…," Mai trailed off in a mocking tone.

"You will shut your damn mouth wench or I will cut you down where you stand for the insult you have given!"

The outburst accompanied by the sound of steel being drawn brought silence throughout the gathering. Many looked horrified, partly because a junior member of the clan had dared to insult the current lord of the Shugorei directly in his presence. Others had there hands on their own swords because a member of the clan had dared to draw a sword during a council meeting in the presence of the Shugorei lord. Jinjiro himself was both confused and horrified, even more so when he realized that many of the looks were directed towards him causing him to suddenly glance down and realize that he had jumped to his feet, drawn his sword, and spoken the words that had silenced Mai and disrupted the entire proceedings.

Eyes wide open now Jinjiro realized that he had just committed an act that could be punishable by death if Hohiro, as the current lord, so ordered. Quickly he looked down upon the steel he had drawn realizing that he would probably have to commit seppuku with it. The sword itself was rather plain in detail, appearing like many other Shugorei swords as a simple katana blade. The only thing that set it apart was the tsuba which was not round or oval like a traditional katana's. Instead the tsuba was elongated out before and behind the blade with the ends curving up on one side and down on the other to form small roundels.

This blade was in essence a part of Jinjiro's own soul just as the blades of every Shugorei warrior were part of their master's being. One of the greatest skills of the Shugorei was related to these weapons. Like many elite shinobi clans the Shugorei possessed a skill that could only be possessed by a member of the clan. However, unlike the so called bloodline limits of these clans the skill of the Shugorei was referred to by its members as a Soul Limit. This was due in part to the fact that the blade of a Shugorei warrior was forged from the warrior's very soul and the blade itself carried a soul that reflected the warrior who had made it. This soul of the blade when unlocked could allow a Shugorei warrior access to powers and skills that were far beyond those most ninja could obtain. Because of the connection that the Shugorei had to their blades they called them Zanpakuto or Soul Slayers. When a warrior was able to unlock his or her Zanpakuto to gain the power it possessed it was classified as reaching the level of Shikai or initial release. Almost always this was accomplished by learning the name of the soul of the Zanpakuto and the word or phrase that would call that soul forth. The Shikai would almost always transform the Zanpakuto into a new weapon or device that would give the warrior who was connected to the blade a new set of far more powerful skills. When not called forth the Zanpakuto would remain as it had looked before the revelation of Shikai. Yet the power of the Zanpakuto's did not stop there. Another level of power existed that was open to those deemed elites of the clan, the fabled Bankai. This state would call forth all of the power of the wielder and the Zanpakuto, transforming the blade and sometimes the wielder to accommodate the extra power. In this state the power of the wielder could increase anywhere from five to ten times what it had been in the Shikai state. However, this final ability was so difficult to achieve that few of the Shugorei were capable and those who did were often the best the clan had to offer. This information raced through Jinjiro's mind as he contemplated his own death and regretted that he had yet to learn the name of his own Zanpakuto.

Fighting down tears of shame Jinjiro could only wait for the command from his lord and brother, Hohiro. He prayed that at least Hohiro would let him have a warrior's end so that his honor would not be tarnished and the clan would not be shamed by the actions of one whom many had already described as being one who had the potential to become an elite of the clan. His head snapped over quickly to look at Hohiro as the man calmly rose from where he had been seated in a field chair that had been used by many a previous lord when on the campaign.

"Shugorei Jinjiro," the sound of Hohiro's voice was like rolling thunder and reflected the disappointment of the elder brother towards his younger sibling.

"Tono, please if I may…he was just," Hideyoshi spoke quickly but a single glance from Hohiro quieted the protest and attempt at sparing Jinjiro that Hideyoshi had made.

"Shugorei Jinjiro, you have dared to draw your Zanpakuto in the presence of you lord during a clan council and in doing so have threatened a fellow member of the clan." Hohiro's words held a finality to them that caused Jinjiro's heart to nearly stop. "Such an act could warrant death if I so choose, however I will acknowledge that you are still young and have only been a warrior of the clan for just under two years during this time of turmoil, wandering, and raiding. As such you are still learning all of the protocols and responsibilities that are required of you. Because of this I will not require your death as atonement rather you will assist in the cleaning of all of the cookware of the camp for the next month, this will hopefully teach you the humility and respect that is required of a warrior of Clan Shugorei."

Both Jinjiro and Hideyoshi seemed to let out a sigh of relief before realizing that Hohiro was not yet finished speaking and had developed a slight twitch in his right eye that all of the brothers had seemed to develop from their father, displaying it as he had, as a sign that one was annoyed. Gulping at a lump that had seemed to form from nothing in his own throat Jinjiro quickly sheathed his Zanpakuto and dropped down to a formal kneeling bow before accepting his punishment with a quick and emphatic, "Hai Tono!"

Hohiro's twitch seemed to lessen upon seeing his youngest brother's show of the proper amount of decorum necessary to avoid a protest by other members of the council who could have suggested that the punishment was too light. Instead of concentrating on what others would think of the punishment Hohiro now turned his attention upon one Shugorei Mai, who seemed to shrink under his gaze upon realizing that she had indeed overstepped her bounds with her last quip.

"Shugorei Mai," Hohiro began. "Jinjiro has much to learn about handling himself during clan councils as he has only attended a few beforehand. However, you have attended every meeting with your father since you became a warrior of this clan. It is understandable that a young warrior like Jinjiro would immediately jump to defend the honor of his lord, however I am a Shugorei elite and lord of this clan." Hohiro's voice had taken on a tone that seemed to freeze the hearts of all who heard it. "I can defend my own honor and you should know that the words you have spoken could be construed by the members of this cabal as being a formal challenge for leadership of the Shugorei. As such I must now, as lord, ask if you or any other Shugorei warrior present wish to challenge me for the position of lord."

Silence permeated the once boisterous tent as Hohiro looked every assembled warrior in the face seeking even the slightest hint of challenge. Finally settling upon the face of Mai, Hohiro's gaze held her eyes for only a few seconds before she bowed and moved backwards to her seat in deference to her lord. Few would dare to challenge Hohiro for the position of lord, even the other elites such as Hideyoshi and Minobu would only consider such an act if the were absolutely certain that Hohiro's decisions were based upon insanity and would lead the Shugorei to extinction. It was not fear though that inspired this. Hohiro was an elite warrior and those who had witnessed the full power of his abilities and lived were few, however it was the fact that in his short tenure as lord so far Hohiro had kept the clan alive when by many accounts and rationale it should have fallen apart and been cast to the depths of history. Hohiro had done so through not only his power but also his cunning. To remove such a leader would signal to many of the Shugorei's enemies that the clan was unstable enough to be wiped out or forcefully integrated and absorbed in order to gain their power and abilities.

Hohiro seemed to let the calm that he had caused remain for a little while longer before breaking the silence as he watched the members of his clan resituate themselves in their seats as they could tell that he had more to say.

"The debate that we have been engaged in since this morning is one that our clan has dealt with ever since our ancestors realized that the wars of succession were the death knells for the Empire," Hohiro began while seeming to focus his sight as if he could witness the ancient council and its members. "All of you have brought to bare many points that need to be considered if the Shugorei are to survive. However, the debate must end as I fear the constant stalling that is created by fostering these discussions is doing more damage to the clan than any of the battles we have fought in the past. To be candid with you all, I am troubled by the world that exists around us and time, I fear, is not on our side."

Jinjiro and his fellow clansmen knew that Hohiro did not refer to the forest and clearings that surrounded the camp. Nor did he refer to how the camp was situated on the border between the newly declared River Country and the old imperial province that had taken to be called the Country of Fire. No Hohiro referred to the many enemies that existed outside the clan and the dire circumstances that the clan was constantly being thrust into.

"I see many of our enemies gathering their strength to form villages of their own so as to contend with the strength that we and others possess," Hohiro continued. "Already we have seen the creation of ninja villages in the Country of Water, the Country of Wind, the Country of Earth, and the Country of Lightning. These villages all hold groups hostile towards us and it can be assured that sooner or later those groups shall rally their new allies to settle old debts. Alone and independent, even if we are able to take control of another country, I do not foresee the Shugorei as being able fend off so many enemies."

A few members of the group started to protest such a claim and defend the point that the clan would not be defeated so easily only to have Hohiro once again level his smoky grey orbs upon them and silence them with but a single glance.

"Rest assured if we were to make our stand we would make such a stand as to be so worthy of 'The Chronicles' that future generations, when regaling each other with their own triumphs, would stop and wish that they had been with us at our final struggle. Yet, I put to you the question of how can such generations exist or a verse and passage be written if all that we are has been swept away in that final battle?" The question hung in the air and not a single member could hope to answer as Hohiro continued his speech.

"Even now I see proud and strong warriors gathered here, yet there are far fewer of us assembled here than there were five years ago, two years ago," Hohiro seemed to pause before adding, "one year ago."

All of the gathered warriors dropped their heads in silent remembrance of the members of the clan that had been lost since the passing of Lord Takashi. Some recalled those lost in battle, while others thought of those lost due to disease and other ailments that would have been easily treated if the Shugorei had been at its peak or part of an established country. Hohiro, Hideyoshi, and Jinjiro thought not only of their parents, but of the other siblings that had been lost. The twins, Shinobu and Saki, would have been twenty-two years of age this year if they had not fallen in battle against a group of rogue ninjas that had decided to attack the supply train and dependents of Clan Shugorei three years ago during a move by the clan to find a safer base camp. Even more heart wrenching was the loss of their brother Katsu, who would have been eighteen years of age in only a few months if he were still alive.

As the fifth child of seven children by Takashi and Naomi, Katsu had been a core for the siblings growing up and even more so after the passing of their parents. He had always been quick to make a joke and alleviate a tense situation with his sense of humor; he had been loved by all of the clan members. When he had died only a year ago due to a failed assassination attempt on Hohiro by an angry feudal lord it was the first and only time Hohiro had ever given the order to "kill them all".

Not a single member of the clan protested as they brought a righteous fury and vengeance down upon the now forgotten lord and his gathered allies, wiping them not only from life but going so far as to produce a constant threat that if the name of the villainous lord was even hinted at in the presence of a member of the clan then the one who made the remark would suffer the same fate as the lord. All members of the clan had felt the loss of Katsu and the brutal efficiency that the Shugorei warriors had delivered in the fulfillment of Hohiro's order. Despite this dark thought, the three Shugorei brothers thought of one of the few moments in their lives when the prayers that they had made were answered.

Shugorei Ami, all of nine years old now, had been only five years of age one year after the death of Takashi and Naomi. Yet at this young age she was diagnosed with the same disease that had taken her and her siblings' beloved parents. The clan healer could do little for her and it was only through a desperate act by Hideyoshi and the twins that a medicine had been found and recovered to prevent the death of her and many other members of the clan that had fallen ill.

Despite the personal remembrances or maybe because of them the gathered warriors quickly did a mental count of those in the tent and outside of it comparing it to the number that had existed only a single year prior. The realization was grim. A year ago the Shugorei could have boasted forty-three full warriors and fifty-seven dependents, now that number had fallen to only twenty-eight full warriors and forty-one dependants. The constant hounding by bandits, rogue ninja groups hoping to collect the bounties that existed on many of the clan members, feudal lords seeking to force the Shugorei into service or destroy them in a show of strength, and attacks by enemy clans had taken their toll and only the great prowess of the Shugorei had kept the losses as low as they were.

The moment of remembrance was disrupted by Hohiro's voice as he continued, "If we stand with others who carry similar philosophies of honor and duty I believe we can restore our clan to its rightful place of glory and power. That is why I have been in contact with a man that has been rallying clans and groups of ninja to form a new village within the Country of Fire. He has already gathered many other prestigious groups to his cause, many of which we are familiar with and some of whom we held ties to during the Imperial era."

This statement caused murmurings throughout the assembled warriors and many began to ask those sitting next to them if they had heard anything about which clans and groups might be going to Fire Country.

Jinjiro deciding that since he was already on 'kitchen duty' and that his lord and brother would probably not up the punishment, asked the question many of the others were still murmuring, "Pardon Tono, but of which clans do you refer to?"

Hohiro regarded his youngest brother with a slight smile and an upturned eyebrow, impressed that the junior Shugorei had not been completely cowed by his punishment and potential shame as to remain completely silent until it finally fell upon himself or Hideyoshi to get the young boy to participate openly once again in clan councils.

"To answer your question fully I would need to keep you all here until far past the time for the evening meal and into the quiet hours of morning," replied Hohiro. "Needless to say the most prominent clans and groups that I can recall offhand are the Akimichi, the Nara, the Yamanaka, the Aburame, the Sarutobi, the Inuzuka, the Hyuuga, and the Uchiha."

"The Hyuuga are moving to join this group?" inquired one of Shugorei towards the back. "I thought they were still trying to hold there own and remain independent against those ninja who call themselves members of Kumogakure. Aren't they also feuding with the Uchiha right now, how did someone get them to agree to this idea of a village?" The warrior was clearly looking to his fellows and his lord for an answer as to how a clan that was held in almost as high of regard as the Shugorei would be willing to toss in its lot with a village that had still to be fully formed.

"The answer is complicated and even I cannot profess as to knowing all of the reasons," Hohiro responded, "but from what I have gathered the Hyuuga have been hard pressed by this Kumogakure and had fallen back to regroup in the Land of Fire when they were approached on the issue of alliance. Apparently the Hyuuga have come close to losing their precious bloodline limit to Kumogakure and see the alliance as a way to safeguard their clan secrets. As to the Uchiha that seems to be an even stranger situation," stated Hohiro promptly.

"From what I have learned the head of the Uchiha, an Uchiha Madara, engaged the man who has been the chief architect of this alliance nearly two weeks ago on the northern border of the Land of Fire," Hohiro began to explain. "The two were so destructive in their contest that they have fundamentally altered the landscape at that section of the border, creating a new river and canyon system that is now being referred to by some as 'the Valley of the End'. One of our scouts was sent there to investigate and she reports that the destruction and power she has found there rivals that of at least a Shugorei elite's Bankai at full power, if not two elites."

This statement seemed to disrupt many of those present and unsettled them to an extent. The fact that a single battle by two men could be referred to as having the potential to rival the power of an elite if not two of the Shugorei was disturbing. Not to mention the blow to the pride of the Shugorei if others heard of the reference and began to think that the clan had either grown weak or worse that individuals now existed that could go blow for blow with the best of the clan without worry.

Quickly interjecting his voice into the thoughts of his fellows Hohiro began to speak once again. "The event was triggered when the Uchiha made a bold declaration that if someone wanted them to join in alliance with the Hyuuga than that person would have to best their Clan Head before the Uchiha would ever serve alongside the Hyuuga again. Needless to say Uchiha Madara lost and the Uchiha Clan is now working with the Hyuuga, though there still seems to be a good deal of tension and rivalry between the two."

A low chuckle seemed to rise up from the assembled Shugorei as many recalled how the Uchiha had been born of the Hyuuga and after a few generations had been able to gain independence only to fall into a cycle of intense rivalry. The Uchiha, it seemed, had an insane notion that many still viewed them as being part of the Hyuuga and inferior to their predecessors, even though the Uchiha Sharingan could be considered equal to if not superior in some respects to the Hyuuga Byakugan. As such the Uchiha had developed a long standing feud with the Hyuuga over which doujutsu was superior, though rumor had it that the feud was also based upon the highly regulatory caste system that the Hyuuga had instituted and the creation of a seal that would keep all but a few elite Hyuuga as mere servants of the Hyuuga clan.

"The fact that this proposed alliance has gathered these two groups together without either tearing the throat out of the other should at the very least intrigue us," continued Hohiro as many of his fellow clansmen nodded in agreement.

"But to enter into an alliance such as this willingly, while clans that are far inferior to us had to be forced to join…," Minobu interjected suddenly, "it would be disgraceful after we have espoused our philosophy of independence since our clan's inception centuries ago! We cannot allow ourselves the shame of merely giving in to a convenient alliance, not after all that we have fought and bled for…not after all that we have lost."

The near whispered ending of Minobu's point marked the weight that had settled upon his shoulders from all the years of seeing his clan ravaged. Minobu could claim to have seen more suffering than nearly anyone else in the clan, considering that he was now the only surviving member of his generation of Shugorei and as such the eldest warrior present. Currently at the age of fifty years nearly anyone could see that he was man that had grown old before his time. But such things often happen when one must not only bury friends, parents, and siblings, but also one's own beloved children and wife. Though all those present had felt the pain of loss, none could truly understand the degree of pain that Shugorei Minobu felt. Such is the reason that not a single jest or jeer would be made when all witnessed the elder warrior accept the comforting grasp of his only surviving child's hand.

While attempting to console her father, Shugorei Mai picked up the gauntlet that had been laid down against the idea of peacefully joining this alliance.

"Otousan's words ring with truth Tono. How can we, a clan that has held freedom and sovereignty as one of our greatest principals, hope to remain respected if we appear to simply accede to this offer of alliance merely because we see few other options that do not end with our destruction," Mai wearily asked.

Jinjiro looked to his eldest brother as he too felt the call of clan honor that Minobu-jisan and his daughter had raised. Glancing about sharply he noted that many others, including Hideyoshi, seemed to share this feeling of concern.

"I would never allow us to let our honor be tainted in a way that would speak towards cowardice," spoke Hohiro in a tone that one would take as if comforting a loved one. "No, never such dishonor…thus have I thought long and hard about the issue, only recently devising a solution that will allow us to preserve the clan while maintaining the honor and tradition that have formed our very core."

"Then you will fight, just as the Uchiha did," Hideyoshi questioned.

"Not exactly brother, rather I will propose to offer a challenge to the man who bested Uchiha Madara and seeks to bring the Shugorei into this alliance," Hohiro began. "I will offer such a fight as an option for him to choose if he does not agree to accept our challenge."

"And what will the challenge be," Jinjiro inquired.

Hohiro seemed to sigh as he readied his answer, "I cannot reveal the details to the council but must ask that it be accepted based upon my word as Lord Shugorei that it will preserve the honor, dignity, and life of the clan."

"If your word is all that you can offer us than I am afraid that we have little choice," Shugorei Minobu said as his moment of weariness seemed to pass. "I believe that we have little choice but to accept such terms, for I know the heart and soul of a true Shugorei reside within you just as they did your father. With that said I would call for a vote to allow any actions that you, in your capacity as Lord Shugorei, decide to take in regards to this matter," Minobu finished as he began to eye the others present as if daring them to challenge his words.

"If there are no objections to the taking of a vote then I call upon all of those assembled here to cast their vote," Hideyoshi said quickly as to ensure the solidarity that had been built between Hohiro's and Minobu's remarks would not be lost. "I would remind you all that a vote of 'Hai' will be to allow our lord to carry out his plan with the full blessing of the clan, while a vote of 'Iie' will deny such course of action and allow other options to be presented. You will cast your vote as your name is called from the roll…."

"Shugorei Aoi."

* * *

Jinjiro could not help but marvel at what had transpired mere moments before as he now walked with his brothers to attend the evening meal. The meeting had ended after the vote. Jinjiro had been surprised when at the end of the meeting his formal apology to Mai for his conduct had merely be shrugged off with Mai declaring before the clan that there was nothing to forgive as he had simply been doing his duty. Jinjiro had been expecting Mai to tease him and be slightly condescending as they had never been particularly close despite the two being cousins. What was the most surprising to Jinjiro was that there had been unanimous consent towards the acceptance of Hohiro's proposal. 

"Niisama," Jinjiro asked questionably.

Both Hohiro and Hideyoshi inquisitively turned to regard their youngest brother and see what he wanted.

Feeling slightly awkward as he had simply meant to ask a question and not become the sole focus of attention for both of his brothers Jinjiro hesitated slightly before continuing.

"Back there, during the meeting, everyone was arguing but after you spoke they all agreed to the vote and to accept what you said," Jinjiro began. "How did you get them to all agree, your words were good but some of the others that were gathered are extremely opposed to any thoughts of merging with other shinobi clans to form a village? I was surprised that they did not contest the call for the vote or vote against your idea, but the both of you and Minobu-ojisan didn't seem surprised at all…almost as if you knew what was going to happen."

Grinning at his elder sibling Hideyoshi began to chuckle, "It seems the gaki did pay closer attention than I thought I guess I owe you that favor now Hohiro."

The lord of the Shugorei also began to softly chuckle, "Indeed, though he was not as attentive as I would have liked, so I will make it a small favor Hideyoshi."

"What…wait you had a bet going and what are you chuckling about?" Jinjiro sputtered in both confusion and anger as this was not the first time his elder siblings had decided to amuse themselves at his expense.

"Welcome to the world of politics," Hohiro stately said as his eyes twinkled with mirth, causing Hideyoshi lost all control and was now laughing out loud.

Seeing the look of confusion and slight anger still on his youngest brother's face and that Hideyoshi seemed to be enjoying himself so much Hohiro decided to explain lest a greater 'scene' occur.

"You are right ototo, Minobu-ojisan, Hideyoshi, and myself were not surprised by the turn of events because we did know what was going to occur at the meeting and how it would end," Hohiro stated as he glance towards Hideyoshi, who had begun to compose himself to add to the explanation.

Jinjiro, still showing a look of confusion, decided to further question his brother. "How could you know what was going to happen beforehand, unless…did you see into the future Niisama, is it a special technique, can you teach it to me," Jinjiro rapidly fired of his questions as his confusion bled away to excitement at the thought that his brothers may be able to teach him a new ability.

Hohiro sighed, partly because of the way his youngest brother had seemed to have lost his rational train of thought, but more so because Hideyoshi had lost his composure again and was know leaning over an empty keg so that his rolling laughter would not land him on the ground.

Eye twitching in annoyance at Hideyoshi, Hohiro decided to address Jinjiro before Hideyoshi decided to have a little fun and convince the boy that there was in fact a see-into-the-future technique and had the boy doing gods know what to learn it. The last time Hideyoshi had pulled such a prank Jinjiro had ended up being chased by nearly all of the Shugorei females after Mai had caught him going through her undergarments. When questioned after nearly being beaten to death, the then twelve year old Jinjiro said that Hideyoshi had told him to and that it was part of an invisibility jutsu. That explanation had saved Jinjiro from some of the ire that the women of the Shugorei possessed, but it had lead to nothing but a headache for Hohiro for the rest of the month. It especially didn't help that Hideyoshi had left right before the incident to lead a supply raid and wasn't around for much of the ensuing chaos.

Deciding that he couldn't take another such incident at this time Hohiro quickly interjected into Jinjiro's jutsu crazed thoughts, "I did not look into the future and despite what Hideyoshi may tell you there is no such technique in the Shugorei arsenal or in the world."

"But don't the Uchiha claim to see the future using their doujutsu?" Jinjiro inquired.

Seeing Hideyoshi launch into a new wave of laughter caused Hohiro's eye twitch to increase as all he could think of at that moment was, "Damn the ears of the young, their constant curiosity, and implacable ability to ask questions when they had just received a perfectly good answer."

"The Uchiha are able to hypnotize their opponents using genjutsu based on their Sharingan. That ability allows them to slow down the actions of their enemy enough that the Uchiha are able to predict moves before they occur. It is not really the ability to see the future, merely a subtle trick," Hohiro spoke knowledgeably though he had heard rumors that the Sharingan users could possibly see the chakra shadow of an individual and use the subtle shift of that field to see how said individual would move and attack. While not quite believing the rumors, Hohiro was still weary of the doujutsu users as he did know that the Hyuuga Byakugan could see chakra and that ability did allow the Hyuuga to have an ability to read people and their movements. That the Uchiha and their Sharingan were a derivative of the Hyuuga and their Byakugan did lend some semblance of credibility to the rumors.

"Hohiro's correct," Hideyoshi stated having regained his composure for a second time after seeing the dangerous growth of his elder sibling's annoyance and not wishing to be on the receiving end of whatever punishment Hohiro could think of. Hideyoshi shuttered slightly at how after returning and finding out about Jinjiro's 'panty adventure' he had immediately been sent to take care of the makeshift stables that the Shugorei had setup, he had had to burn the set of work clothes that he had used while he had shoveled shit by himself for an entire month. To this day he still swore he could smell the foul odor on himself despite the numerous baths he took after his punishment was over.

"There was no jutsu or anything so grand that allowed us to predict what would happen at the meeting," Hideyoshi continued. "Hohiro, Minobu-ojisan, and I simply played politics."

Seeing a new look of confusion was over Jinjiro's face Hideyoshi decided to elaborate while Hohiro got his eye twitch under control.

"Hohiro and I, along with ojisan, are some of the most respected individuals in the clan and as such many of our fellow Shugorei trust our judgment and will go along with us so long as we do not attempt anything too radical," Hideyoshi began to explain. "You, Jinjiro, most likely voted for the proposal based upon this trust and respect."

Jinjiro began to nod his head in agreement before realizing that his brother was not asking a question but merely making a statement and was not done with his explanation.

"Now on top of this trust and respect the three of us have been able to garner many political favors over the years and decided to call those favors in so as to make sure the voting went our way," Hideyoshi smiled dubiously.

"The few members of the clan who did not owe us any favors and were not in any mood to trust what we had decided to propose were informed, subtlety of course, that opposition to the measure would not be wise," Hohiro said picking up from where Hideyoshi had left off.

"Wait, you mean to say that you intimidated some members of the clan and bribed others off just so you could win the vote?" Jinjiro spoke flabbergasted.

"As I said earlier, welcome to politics ototo," Hohiro smiled slyly.

"Yeah, but words like intimidation and bribery are so harsh gaki. We merely did a little convincing," Hideyoshi said with the same smile that Hohiro wore. "Though I think you and ojisan were slightly surprised that we were able to get unanimous consent, Hohiro. I know I was."

"Hmm," Hohiro muttered in thought. "There usually is at least one or two members at council that will disregard any political maneuvering and object to proposals that are proposed, the fact that there were none is slightly troubling."

"Oh don't worry yourself about it, we just got lucky," Hideyoshi stated clapping his elder brother on the shoulder. "Remember its better to be lucky than good."

With Jinjiro still dazed at the revelation of his brothers and the Hohiro and Hideyoshi still discussing possible political outcomes, none of the three saw or heard the blur speeding towards them until it leapt onto Jinjiro's back with a loud cry.

"Niisan its dinner time come on, come on!"

The blur, it turned out was one Shugorei Ami. The young girl was dressed in a small black yukata that mirrored the color of her brothers' armor and fit her small stature and size. At all of nine years of age Ami was smaller than average as an effect of the disease that had nearly killed her. Inheriting the light brown hair that the gathered siblings' father had possessed and gathering it in a small braid, the only thing that would have denoted a relation between them to a casual observer was the same smoky grey eyes that had come from their mother.

In her little sing-song voice Ami was imploring her brothers to hurry so that dinner could begin as the clan had developed a tradition of eating together when the majority of members were in camp.

"I helped with dinner niisan, hurry, hurry!" Ami bubbled with energy and giggles while digging her heels into Jinjiro's sides and grabbing fistfuls of hair hoping for an impromptu piggyback ride.

Feeling his hair close to being ripped out by the overly energetic nine year old, Jinjiro began to yell, "Oww, ow, leggo, leggo my hair Ami!"

"Only if you promise to drink your milk tonight niisan!" countered Ami in her little sing-song voice as both Hohiro and Hideyoshi laughed uncontrollably.

"I don't like milk, oww, now leggo!" Jinjiro now almost yowled as Ami seemed to pull harder.

"If you don't drink milk you will stay short niisan," Ami giggled as she leapt off her brother's back.

"I am not short! I am at a perfectly respectable height for my age and don't call me gaki!" Jinjiro countered as his eye began to twitch.

"Sure you are gaki, whatever you say," chuckled Hideyoshi as he picked Ami up allowing her to sit on his broad shoulders.

So with Jinjiro grumbling about hyperactive little sisters, Hideyoshi listening to Ami tell of how she had helped the other civilian members of the clan make the evening meal, and Hohiro chuckling at the antics of his closet relatives the small group made there way to the cook fires where the rest of the clan had met and were waiting to start the meal.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since the night of the council meeting. During that period messengers had been moving in out of the Shugorei camp daily. The messengers worked diligently, as the documents and letters that they carried held the intentions and future of the Shugorei. Finally the day that had been agreed upon to by both the Shugorei and the allied clans had come and now the Shugorei waited for their guests to arrive on this sunny and almost perfect day. 

Jinjiro stood with a group of Shugorei waiting patiently for the foreign delegation to arrive. On his left and slightly in front of him was Hideyoshi who stood directly at Hohiro's right. On Hohiro's left was Minobu being flanked by Mai. Hideyoshi and Minobu were placed as there positions of power and authority within the clan dictated, as Hohiro's right and left hands. Mai and Jinjiro stood on the flanks to denote that they were up and coming within the ranks and were expected to some day possibly take the position of one of the three. The five stood as a vanguard with five more Shugorei warriors standing formal guard behind them.

The rest of the Shugorei warriors had either been left five miles back at the Shugorei camp in the event of treachery. They would be alerted by one of the five guards that stood behind the vanguard and would hopefully make sure that the civilian dependents of the clan made it to safety.

The only other Shugorei present for the meeting was Ami. Though Jinjiro had protested her presence as a needless risk he had been overruled by Hohiro. Ami stood resplendent in a formal kimono, one of her mother's that had been resized for her. Ami had next to her a small tray from which she would serve tea and sake to the head representative of the allied clans. Jinjiro had complained that one of the servants of the Shugorei could accomplish the task just as well, but Hohiro had said that having Ami serve would act as a sign of respect and honor.

Jinjiro could not help but look towards his little sister. He could tell she was nervous as she stood next to him. Her nervousness was exemplified by her need to fiddle with the bejeweled comb that sat holding her hair in an elaborate bun. The comb had been a gift from Jinjiro for her last birthday and the flower made of brilliant red fire-opal that was the center of the comb matched nicely with the delicate orange, red, and indigo of the kimono.

Jinjiro himself was nervous as he waited impatiently. He was once again wearing his armor but it had been cleaned and made to look presentable as blue highlights had been added. All of the Shugorei warriors had done the same to their armors though they had varied the color and design of their highlights so that no two were exactly the same. Hohiro himself had silver highlights that matched well with the white robe coat that hung around his armor denoting his status as lord.

Jinjiro's musings were broken as he noticed the presence of a large group moving towards them from across the clearing that had been selected for the meeting.

From the woods on the other side of the clearing came nearly twenty shinobi and kunoichi. Jinjiro took in their appearance when they reformed from a skirmish line into one group only about fifteen yards from where his own clan stood, though he was quick to note that despite standing together some of the members seemed less than enthused about one or more companion that stood near them.

Starting from the left the first shinobi he saw could only be an Akimichi as few warriors could hope to match the size of the rotund shinobi clan. Though Hideyoshi definitely had the man beat in the area of height the Akimichi was just as broad and Jinjiro would make a solid bet that the opposing ninja was just as strong as the man carried a massive halberd.

Standing next to the Akimichi was a kunoichi with dirty blond hair. It took a moment for Jinjiro to recognize the woman as being a Yamanaka. The only thing that gave it away was the psychic aura surrounding her. The Shugorei had developed a few jutsu similar to the Yamanaka and as such were able to detect the slight shifts that represented the fluctuation of the powerful mind. It was rumored that the Shugorei had developed the abilities after one of its kunoichi had an affair with a Yamanaka ninja, though no documented proof existed to either support or deny the claim.

The slight laugh of the woman brought Jinjiro's attention to a mustached man lazily sitting in front of both her and the Akimichi. What the man had said he wasn't sure, but he would put good money on the man being a Nara. This was mainly based upon the black pineapple hairstyle, the lazy demeanor, and the extra friendly attitude that seemed to exist between the three. Knowing that the Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Nara had always been closer then most other clans made him feel confident in his assessment.

Jinjiro's attention was suddenly drawn to the right side of the shinobi formation by a loud bark. The man standing there had next to him one of the largest hounds Jinjiro had ever seen and looked to be a mix of wolf and large hunting dog stock. The man himself had dark brown hair that was in a mess. An eye patch covered the man's right eye, but what intrigued Jinjiro more were the two red fang-like inverted triangles on the man's cheeks. Considering the rather messy and near feral look of the man Jinjiro thought the man to most likely be an Inuzuka, the presence of the large hound only helped to reinforce that thought.

The Inuzuka seemed annoyed by the man next to him, though Jinjiro wasn't exactly sure if it was a man or not considering the heavy duster overcoat that the individual was wearing. The face wasn't a help either as the lower part was concealed by a scarf that trailed off behind the man's right shoulder. Dark goggles covered the man's eyes leaving his grayish-black hair to fall to either side of his face. The silent sentinel seemed to ignore the Inuzuka next to him and Jinjiro would have had no idea who the stoic man was if he had not seen the man suddenly point a hand, which was surrounded by an undulating black cloud of flying bugs, at the Inuzuka as a warning. Seeing that, Jinjiro concluded that the man or walking coat, could only be an Aburame as they were one of the few clans that could use insects as a shinobi tool.

Next to the Aburame seeming to be dissatisfied about the whole situation was a beautiful kunoichi wearing an intricate cream and brown battle kimono. Her long brownish-black hair and pearl colored eyes left no argument that she could only be a Hyuuga. Though the kimono hid much of her body Jinjiro would guess that the woman had one of the greatest figures in the world as a few of the ninja behind her seemed to leer at her lustfully. Those leers soon turned to looks of fear and apprehension as the woman glanced back at the ninja with a scowl marring her beautiful face.

The person next to the Hyuuga quickly drew Jinjiro's attention from the extravagant kunoichi. The man now holding his attention seemed to be simply pissed the hell off for the lack of a better term. The man was wearing dark black clothes beneath blood red samurai style armor complete with katana upon his hip. With long, spiny black hair and dark eyes Jinjiro felt a shiver run up his spine as the man locked eyes with him and those black eyes flashed red for a moment. Breaking from the stare Jinjiro knew that the man could only be Uchiha Madara himself.

Still unsettled by the impromptu staring match Jinjiro almost missed Hohiro and the rest of the vanguard Shugorei start forward towards the two field chairs set on either side of a small field table. Despite this slight stumble he did notice the two young men that moved to meet them at the table.

The younger of the two had grey hair held back by a small circlet that held an armor plate about the man's face. Wearing black clothes under blue armor the man, Jinjiro noticed, had two small scar-like lines moving from the his jaw line towards the corners of his mouth. Though he carried himself with great strength and confidence the man seemed to defer slightly to the older man that walked besides him. Jinjiro could not help but note that it was a trait that he had seen Hideyoshi exercise when accompanying Hohiro. That simple thought caused Jinjiro to conclude that the young man was probably the brother of the leader of the movement to form the new village.

With that in mind Jinjiro focused solely on the older of the two men approaching the table, the leader who was gathering clans and shinobi together to form this new village. The man seemed young, probably in his early to mid-twenties like Hideyoshi, though his brown eyes seemed like they belonged to a man two to three times older as they had long stress creases extending down from the inside corner of the eye to the center of the man's cheeks. The man wore black cloth underneath armor similar to the younger man thought the armor was red in color, but not the color of blood like the Uchiha's. No this red was like that of a blazing fire. Jinjiro could not help but muse that the armor and its color may have been what had given the man the title of Hokage. If he had not read the official report that the title had been bestowed by the Daimyo of Fire Country, Jinjiro would have been inclined to accept his own musings.

Jinjiro came to full alert noticing that the guest shinobi that he had already identified had flanked the Hokage while the ones he had yet to fully analyze stood back in a similar guard position as the Shugorei guards. Jinjiro felt himself tensing up even more as Hohiro moved forward the last few feet to the table alone with the Hokage doing the same.

Watching the two leaders nod their heads towards one another as signs of greeting and respect Jinjiro began to pickup on the conversation that was beginning between the two leaders.

"I am glad to finally meet you in person Shugorei-dono," the Hokage remarked. "I have heard much about your clan and its exploits, when I discovered that you were close to Fire Country I had to see if I could meet with you."

"I am glad that we are able to meet on such amicable terms Hokage-dono," Hohiro responded diplomatically. "Please let us sit and discuss your proposal," stated Hohiro while motioning to the table and field chairs.

Ami moved forward hesitantly and offered the drinks that had been prepared for the two leaders. She blushed slightly as the Hokage decided upon a cup of tea and thanked her for it as Hohiro indicated that he would prefer the tea over the sake. She quickly poured tea into the cups that had been set out before the two men and then quickly bowed before moving back to her place near Jinjiro.

After sipping his tea for a moment Hohiro broke the silence that had descended upon the clearing.

"I understand that you are creating a new village within the Country of Fire and have begun gathering clans, freelance ninjas, and small shinobi bands together for this purpose. That is why you are here Hokage-dono, you wish for the Shugorei to join your little project," Hohiro stated while maintaining an emotionless mask over his features.

"Quick to the point aren't you Shugorei-dono," the Hokage chuckled. "Many of the others that I have made such offers to have felt the need to use diplomatic pleasantries to discover my intentions, but you waste no time beating around the bush. I respect that."

Continuing after sipping his tea some more the Hokage began, "Yes I wish for the Shugorei to join the other shinobi that have I have allied together. Your prowess and elite skill as well as your long and noble history, back to the beginning of the shinobi arts, would be a great boon to the new village I wish to create."

Looking at Hohiro the Hokage seemed to be contemplating something before continuing his remarks.

"I was surprised that you responded to my messages and even more that you actually agreed to a meeting; I had thought that with your clan's history of fierce independence you would have ignored my requests," the Hokage finished.

"Times change and so do the people living in them," Hohiro suggested in response. "My clan has already reviewed what your proposal would mean to us and have carefully weighed the possible outcomes of any action that we would take in response. Make no mistake Hokage-dono, my clan may have fallen upon rough times, but we are neither foolish nor are we desperate. If you tried to forcefully integrate us we would bleed you dry and leave you so weakened that the other shinobi villages would descend upon you to pick away at your remains."

The steely tone of Hohiro's voice at that last statement caused many of those who had gathered to tense up for a moment, fearing that everything would be over before it even had a chance to begin.

"I suggest no such thing Shugorei-dono; I have nothing but respect for you and your clan. I know what terrible foes you can be and do not wish to incur your ire anymore than I have to," diplomatically responded the Hokage.

"Then we have an understanding," Hohiro stated watching the Hokage nod slightly in response.

"We do, so what is the price that the Shugorei require in order to gain you as part of our alliance?" the Hokage asked hesitantly.

Hohiro eyed the Hokage warily for a moment before calmly answering, "We have but a few provisions that must be fulfilled and I assure you that they are not too expensive."

"First, the Shugorei will maintain its right to act independently if it is felt that at any time the contract reached here is not being fulfilled," seeing the Hokage nod slowly Hohiro continued.

"Second, the Shugorei have never knelt to anyone in its history and we shall not do so now. If you think we will kneel before you, another leader, or even the Fire Daimyo himself than you are sadly mistaken. While we may be allied together and as such work together we are neither your servants nor your slaves. This point is nonnegotiable," Hohiro spoke with a crisp finality while looking to see how the Hokage would respond.

Pausing for a moment, as if contemplating a response, the Hokage nodded in agreement before speaking, "I will agree to this point but your clan must defer to decisions and laws created by the village government, as well as following the chain of command when working with other shinobi and allied groups."

Before Hohiro could respond the Hokage added with a slight smile, "This point is nonnegotiable."

Staring at the Hokage for a few seconds Hohiro nodded. "That is acceptable," he said before continuing with the requirements put together by the Shugorei.

"Third, the Shugorei will be allowed to set up and conduct the traditional businesses that have been practiced by both its civilians and warriors, so long as they do not interfere with the security and safety of the village," Hohiro continued looking to the Hokage.

Seeing the slight nod Hohiro continued, "Fourth, the Shugorei will be considered full partners with all other inhabitants and allied shinobi of the village. We shall follow your laws accordingly, but we will not be discriminated against by the legal government of the village."

"That will not be a problem," the Hokage began. "We have already begun drafting the laws of our new village as well as the system of government. The Shugorei will be part of the village council with equal representation and say just as all other members of the village will have. We are also hoping that you will have suggestions to make sure the laws will be fair and just towards all."

"Agreed," came from Hohiro while he looked at the clan heads standing just behind the Hokage. Seeing that none of them had even flinched at the last point called to his mind that they had all required a similar guarantee before they accepted the Hokage's proposal. Looking back to the Hokage, Hohiro decide to present his final concern.

"Finally, the Shugorei will maintain its own private clan area and techniques. We will help train others in the way of the shinobi so as keep the forces of the village strong and numerous, but we will not reveal our secrets and jutsus to others of the village. These are ours alone and we will only teach them to those of the clan," Hohiro vehemently stated.

"That point has already been agreed to with the other clans that are forming the village," said the Hokage. "Though I do hope that you will provide non-clan specific techniques for general usage by all of the village's forces just as the other groups have."

With Hohiro's nod the Hokage smiled and began to extend his hand across the table while saying, "If that is your last point then I would like to formally welcome you to…."

Hohiro cut the man off before he could finish his statement with, "Actually there is one last thing that we must do before the Shugorei can accept your alliance."

While looking into the eyes of the Hokage, Hohiro continued with a slight smile seeing as he had surprised the other man, "The Shugorei have long been a proud and independent people, traditionally we do not accept others until they have proven their worth. To accept your proposal outright would shame us and disgrace our traditions."

"Then what would you propose Shugorei-dono?" the Hokage asked guardedly.

Smiling Hohiro looked back at the clan heads, which had moved forward towards the table and its occupants.

"The Uchiha required you to best their leader before they would agree, anything less for us would be insulting," Hohiro continued to grin and eye the Hokage. "I have heard reports of your battle and wish to see if they are true and that you are as strong as they claim or if the Uchiha are as weak some rumor."

Jinjiro who had been listening intently was suddenly struck by a feeling of pure dread and if not for the efforts of Hideyoshi and Minobu would have collapsed underneath the wave of killing intent that poured forth from the slighted Uchiha Madara. Quickly realizing that Ami had not nearly enough training to deal with the feeling Jinjiro grabbed the hyperventilating girl and held her close as she cried silently because of the terror she was experiencing.

Jinjiro, realizing that Mai was in a similar predicament of handling the killing intent as he was and must also be suffering from the ill feeling that had crept into his stomach, looked between his uncle and elder brothers for some sort of action. He was surprised that it was the Hokage and his entourage that stopped the Uchiha head.

With a few glares and quick taunts the Uchiha's focus was diverted elsewhere and the killing intent that he had been emanating subsided while Jinjiro comforted the terrified Ami.

"You would do well to not anger my companion," the Hokage began. "I can attest that he is a dangerous and worthy adversary, even you would have difficulty in combating him Shugorei-dono."

The pained tone in the Hokage's voice drew Jinjiro's attention and for the first time he noticed that the man and the Uchiha head both still held the weariness of battle about them. Jinjiro quickly realized that despite the time that had past since the two had battled neither combatant was back to full strength and were most likely still nursing a few wounds.

Quickly looking towards the other Shugorei warriors that stood with him, he noted that they had also picked up on his observation. The fact that the Hokage was not fully battle-ready made Jinjiro stop for a moment and wonder what Hohiro was thinking. For a Shugorei warrior to challenge a still wounded and weakened opponent to a duel and then defeat him would bring little glory and honor. To throw a fight would be disgraceful, so what had Hohiro been planning when he had challenged the Hokage. Jinjiro did not have long to think on the matter as Hohiro began to address the Hokage again.

"Yes a duel between the two of us Hokage-dono," Hohiro stated before quirking an eyebrow and continuing, "Unless you would be open to another option that would fulfill my clan's honor?"

The Hokage hesitated slightly, unsure of what the Shugorei lord had up his sleeve, before inquiring, "What would you have in mind?"

Smiling like the proverbial cat with the canary Hohiro offered, "I believe that a fight between the two of us would be fruitless and cause more harm then good. A similar fight between members of my party and yours would doubtlessly have similar results. As such I would propose a small contest. If you win then the Shugorei will immediately accept the provisions discussed here and join your alliance for a new village. However, if you should lose then we will have to have a duel to settle the matter."

Slightly startled by the proposal the Hokage quickly composed himself before responding, "If I refuse we will duel and if I accept and lose we will duel, hardly a choice Shugorei-dono. I want to know what the contest will be before I accept or decline."

"Of course," Hohiro countered, "It is rather simple, you will toss a coin in the air and I will call it, if the side I call occurs than I win if not then you win."

"Such a contest eliminates skill and relies upon luck," responded the Hokage as he contemplated the idea.

"When two warriors of equal ability meet it is often luck that decides the outcome," Hohiro stated philosophically.

Jinjiro watched as the Hokage sat thinking over the proposition and listening as words of advice were given by the attending clan heads and the Hokage's brother. He wondered what the man would do as some of the advice offered was for the duel while others cautioned for the contest.

Rising up from his chair the Hokage looked at the Shugorei lord before asking, "Do you have a coin that I may use?"

Hohiro too rose up from his chair before offering a coin that he had somehow gotten in his hand without anyone noticing.

The slight flash of gold and the sharp intake of breath by the surprised Hokage told Jinjiro exactly where the coin was from. Before them all Hohiro was offering the Hokage an ancient, gold Imperial Sovereign.

The coin had at one time been the major currency of the now collapsed Empire. Since the collapse most of coins had been collected by feudal lords and large businesses so as to recast the coins into ingots that would back the paper and metal currency of the new age.

On one side was the visage of an emperor or empress, which was varied as the coins were not taken out of circulation and recast when a new leader sat the throne. The other side never changed though and held the depiction of an armor clad warrior holding up the imperial standard. It was that side that most caught Jinjiro as the depiction was of a member of his clan as the Shugorei had been the guardians of the Empire and had ensured the peace and justice offered under its rule.

Jinjiro new that the Shugorei had kept a large amount of the old coins, as well as their silver and copper counterparts, along with many of the treasures of the Empire sealed in scrolls for safe keeping and easy transport. It was almost an unspoken rule that no hint was to be given about the wealth that remained sealed away as it would only incite further attacks and the wealth was kept with the idea that it would be used to reestablish the Shugorei once they found a suitable home.

Watching the Hokage reverently accept the coin and marvel at it caused Jinjiro to feel a sense of pride in his heritage. This pride was replaced with nervous anticipation as everyone focused on the coin as it was flipped into the air by the Hokage.

The only person not watching the coin dance in the sunlight as it flew through the air was Hohiro. Staring straight at the Hokage with a mirthful smirk, Hohiro waited for their gazes to lock before calmly calling out, "Edge."

* * *

___This verse is at an end.  
Our path now leads to a once unthinkable fate.  
We have found new allies in our once despised foes and treacherous enemies within our own brethren.  
Our honor has guided us, like a pyre in the blackest night to our new home.  
This Eden was foretold by the ancestors as deliverance from our own corruption.  
We shall defend it to the last, let the next verse begin!_

___-Shugorei Hohiro  
The end of 'The Wandering' by 'The Joining'_  
"_The Shugorei Chronicles"  
_

* * *

**AN**_:__ Hello, hello and welcome to my Naruto epic. This story will be AU in many respects, but will also follow many of the canon details set forth in the series. Please note that this is in no way a crossover with other fictional realms, though some elements will be borrowed and redeployed accordingly. A few OC's will pop up, but only a few will play a significant role. The main premise behind this story was a challenge put forward a while back to develop a good story based upon the unknown history of Naruto's mother. My first ideas were alright and languished on the shelf for a few years. When I dusted them off and started reviewing them they kind of took on a life of their own and have thus evolved into this fic. Since Kishimoto has finally given us a name and description of Naruto's parents I will be weaving those details into the story. I hope you all enjoyed the prologue and don't worry; Naruto will be showing up shortly in the next chapter. I hope some of you who read this fic will leave some words to tell me what you think and if there are ways to improve. _

___Thanks,_

_Tyrchon  
-,-_


	2. Chapter 1: The Ghosts That Haunt Us

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 1 – The Ghosts That Haunt Us  
**_

* * *

His lungs burned and his legs ached, but he kept going. He wasn't even sure that there was anyone chasing him now, but his fear drove him forward and would not let him stop. Five year old Uzumaki Naruto kept moving, kept dodging around people in the crowded market as panic gripped him.

Besides the thread of fear weaving through his mind, all that the young, blond haired, blue eyed boy could think of was how it wasn't fair. He didn't mean to do anything wrong, all he wanted was to play with the other kids.

Having snuck out of the orphanage he had hoped to explore the area about the building as he had done a few times previously. He knew the matron would be angry if she caught him, but he thought everything would be fine as he just wanted to see where the other kids in the orphanage went some days.

Bumping into a person holding some fruit and hearing them yell spurred him on as he knew that things were far from fine now and the matron would definitely find out about it.

Ducking down a small alley his thoughts turned to the kindly old woman.

She had graying hair and was slightly stooped causing her to move slowly as she looked after her charges. She always had a kind smile though she could be stern when she needed to be. Her eyes were failing her so she wore glasses, but her hugs were warm and made one feel like they had fallen into a nice warm bed on a cold night.

Stopping to catch his breath and see where he was Naruto couldn't help but feel sad that he would make the old woman feel bad when she found out that he was in trouble again. She always seemed to pay special attention to him. When the other kids picked on him or when adults would look at him with those cold eyes she never seemed far away to wipe away his tears and tell him everything would be okay. When many of the other kids got to go to school, as he was the youngest, or got invited to go into the village and he was left behind she always seemed to have something special for him to do. Whether it was helping her bake cookies or holding her sowing box when she needed to mend some of the abused clothing that was donated for the orphans she always made sure that he wouldn't dwell on missing out on what the other children got to do.

Feeling a slight tear fall down his cheek, with its distinctive whisker marks, he couldn't help but think of how she had given him that extra special cookie a few weeks ago on his birthday for dessert when the other children had gone to the big festival being held out in the village. He thought of how later that night she had woken him and placed him into the hidden crawl space under the stairs.

He hadn't understood what was happening other than her telling him that everything would be okay and he just needed to stay there and be quiet until she came and got him. He remembered how after she closed the little door, leaving him in the dark, he had heard shouting and the crash of furniture being overturned. He heard the matron yelling and wanted to go to her, but she had made him promise to stay where he was, so all he did was silently begin to cry as any small child will when scared.

He remembered how when everything had been quiet she had come and gently pulled him out of the small, dark space. Clinging to her he had almost missed the broken furniture, the torn drapes, and the broken window. He hadn't gotten to ask what had happened as his attention was held by the old man with the funny triangle hat that would come every now and then to take him for ramen or for a trip to the park.

The man had had with him some people wearing masks that looked like the animals in the storybooks the matron would read to him and the other children. The man had said something to the matron and then patted him on the head before leaving. The animal people had stayed and he had seen them for a few days after.

Hearing a yell and seeing someone pointing down the alley he was in caused Naruto to break from his thoughts and feel the tendrils of fear crawl back into his heart. When the person at the mouth of the alley was joined by another person who also shouted he turned and began to run again.

* * *

He was tired, the years were beginning to take their toll. Already his once chocolate brown hair and small beard had begun to turn a grayish white. He wasn't supposed to be doing this job again. No he was supposed to be enjoying spending time with his little grandson and being a better grandfather than he had been a father. Unfortunately the best laid plans do not often survive when the unknown variables of the real world come crashing down.

The Sandaime Hokage could only sigh as he smoked his pipe. Standing on top of the Hokage Tower, looking up at the faces carved into the mountain before him his thoughts wandered to both his predecessors and his successor.

Stopping upon the thought of the Yondaime and how it should be him standing here now. Sarutobi's thoughts turned to that night just a little over five years ago when the village had been besieged by the great nine-tailed demon fox, Kyuubi no Youko. Biting down lightly on the tip of his pipe he could not help but grumble out, "Damn you for being so courageously foolish."

That night had seen more death and destruction for Konoha than any other in its history. The Kyuubi had been relentless; caring not who or what it killed and destroyed. Neither shinobi nor civilian was spared by the great bijuu as it burned a path through the forest surrounding the village before it broke through the great wall and began its rampage within the outer limits of the village itself.

The old man shuddered for a moment remembering the horror that had been unleashed as the Kyuubi devoured some, ground others into small bloody smears, and simply incinerated many with its demonic chakra. The danger had not only lain in the deadly teeth and claws of the beast, but also its massive nine tails. Those tails had torn up the landscape and seemed to cause small earthquakes that cracked many of the village's buildings.

All had seemed hopeless as wave after wave of Konoha shinobi threw themselves at the demon in an effort to save their home, their loved ones, and their fellow leaf-nin. Yet at the moment that everything seemed ready to finally fall apart the Yondaime had appeared upon the battlefield and ended the one-sided conflict with what most of those present remember only as a giant flash of brilliant light.

Taking a long, slow puff from his pipe the elderly Sarutobi couldn't help but recall the moment that Minato had come to him with the idea of sealing the fox. He had been somewhat horrified when he had been informed that only a newborn infant could hope to act as the vessel to contain the beast. He had been even more horrified when Minato had presented his own son, not even an hour old, to be used.

He had argued vehemently with Minato to allow him to be the one to do the sealing. Yes, he may have been already injured from having just come from the battle, but he was old and the village needed its young hero and leader. He had thought that he had convinced Minato when the younger Hokage had suddenly lashed out. The strike to his already broken ribs had driven the Sandaime to his knees and into the blackness of unconsciousness. He hadn't woken until it was far too late to stop what was happening.

His mind wandered to the image of a newborn babe suddenly being bathed in a crimson light as the seal drawn on its belly in blood became a permanent part of the child's own soul. Then there was that high pitch crying that followed. Whether it was from the pure pain and anguish that must have been felt from having the seal and with it the power, the rage of the Kyuubi no Youko burnt into both the infant's flesh and soul or if it was perhaps the child somehow knew that in that moment it had become an orphan Sarutobi would probably never know.

Speaking of said child Sarutobi felt his mood grow even darker as the boy had become a main topic of debate in the council sessions of late. Despite the law that he had passed restricting all knowledge of the sealing and the identity of the vessel it seemed that no matter how tightly he clamped down on the information some of it was bound to slip out. At least what information had slipped wasn't too detrimental and the individuals who had used that information were now enjoying a nice 'chat' with one Morino Ibiki.

The wizened Hokage soundly felt himself pulled from his thoughts as he felt a presence land upon the roof with him. Though the presence was unexpected he knew he had nothing to fear as he turned to come face to face with his own son, Sarutobi Asuma.

The young jounin was taller than his father and had the slight stubble of a beard outlining his jaw line. With dark black hair and a more muscular build the younger Sarutobi took more after his mother's side of the family than he did his father. Having landed gracefully and without nearly a sound the young man pulled out a silver lighter and small white cigarette.

"You know those are bad for you right?" the elder Sarutobi asked while eyeing his offspring with a slight bit of curiosity.

Shrugging his shoulders while lighting up anyway Asuma replied, "Never stopped you. Anyways Asuka won't let me smoke around Konohamaru, so I decided to track you down for her and see if you would be stopping in."

The elder Sarutobi chuckled slightly thinking of his daughter and grandson. The boy was quickly nearing his 'terrible twos' and the toddler was becoming quite the handful for his mother. It didn't help that Asuma, playing the good old uncle card, was attempting to spoil the boy rotten. Speaking of which that reminded him that he should make sure to pop in and see his first and only grandchild; he had his own spoiling to do.

Chuckling at the thought of how it would drive his daughter up the wall he decided that yes he really did hate having to do this job again. He had already been Hokage longer than his predecessors before selecting the Yondaime and here he was now back in the position. One would think he was either attempting to set a record or was a glutton for punishment, perhaps even both if the person doing the reasoning was one Maito Gai.

Dismissing that thought quickly, as he had no need to get an even worse headache than he already had by thinking of the exuberant new jounin, the aging Hokage began to speak to his son.

"I saw you in the council meeting today," he began. "You didn't stay around for long afterwards."

Shrugging once again the younger Sarutobi took a puff of his cigarette before responding, "What can I say, places to go and people to see."

"Those people wouldn't happen to be some impressionable young thing now would it?" the elder questioned with a gleam in his eye.

Coughing hard after nearly swallowing his cigarette Asuma quickly retorted, "Iie! I didn't…I mean I wouldn't…Fuck!"

Seeing his son stumble because of the insinuation that there was a nice young lady out here waiting for him caused a great deal of mirth to enter the old Hokage's laughter.

"There wasn't a girl," began the embarrassed jounin.

Seeing an excellent point to pick at his son the Sandaime quickly said, "A young man then, you know your mother and I would never judge you Asuma and that the family loves you irregardless of your…."

"Otousan!" the irate Asuma suddenly yelled cutting off his sire and losing the cigarette from his mouth.

Giving a hearty laugh the elder man brought up his hands in a show of placating his irritated son while said young man ground his fallen cigarette out lowly grumbling about crazy old men needing to be put in the 'Old Shinobi's Home'.

Giving his son time to cool down, which in Asuma's case meant smoking an entire cigarette before lighting up another to actually enjoy, the Sandaime Hokage slowly began to think about what he originally was going to ask his son.

Seeing that Asuma had calmed down and was now slowly enjoying what was his third cigarette in the presence of his father, the elder Sarutobi began.

"I had hoped to speak with you after the meeting let out," the old man began wearily. "I wanted to get your impression on what was discussed and…."

"You mean you want to know what I think of the boy," Asuma interjected before his father could continue.

Seeing the silent nod from the older man Asuma warily asked, "Am I talking to the Hokage right now or my tousan?"

"I can't simply divorce one from the other Asuma, you know that," the Sandaime stated. "But if you mean can you speak candidly to me then by all means speak what you have to say."

Sighing quietly before beginning the young jounin moved to the railing next to where his father stood.

"Knowing what I do about the boy and even taking into account what little you have let loose about the sealing, I would have to agree with many of the points made by the council," stated Asuma as he heard the slight intake of breath that signaled that his father was surprised. Moving quickly to finish his piece before he was possibly reprimanded, Asuma continued, "I mean no disrespect to you Otousan, but…."

Hearing the hesitation in his son's voice the elder Sarutobi gave a slight nod before saying, "Say what you wish Asuma."

Seeing the nod and hearing his father's words Asuma pressed ahead while turning to fully face his sire and letting his voice take on an edge that cut deeply into his father's heart.

"The boy is dangerous! Many of the others can sense it, why can't you?" Asuma said vehemently.

Suddenly fearing he may have overstepped his bounds Asuma surreptitiously began to scrutinize his father for any sign that the old man may lash out. However, what he saw struck him harder than any blow that could have physically harmed him.

The old Hokage looked as if someone had stacked the entire weight of the world upon his back and then kicked his knees out from under him. Asuma had never before seen his father look so tired and it suddenly pained him that he had in a way caused this sudden show of age by the elder Sarutobi.

"Otousan, I…," Asuma began to apologize only to quiet as he saw his father's eyes snap up to hold his own. The fire that burned in those eyes was a complete antithesis to what Asuma had seen in his father before he attempted to apologize.

"Do you really think that way Asuma?" the Sandaime growled out. "Do you think that he is nothing more than a monster given human form or are you afraid that the Kyuubi has or will take over and destroy us while we sleep?"

Asuma attempted to answer but the glare he received made his voice refuse to utter his answer.

"I thought I raised you far better than that Asuma," the old Hokage stated angrily. "I thought I taught you to be rational and follow logic and the evidence in order to formulate your conclusions and opinions."

"I am following the evidence and being rational about this!" Asuma retorted heatedly. "Stop believing you owe Minato and look at the evidence! The boy broke another child's wrist a few months ago, he is constantly disappearing from the orphanage and causing trouble in the village, and even more important you seem to forget what happened only a few days before the festival this year!"

The elder Sarutobi stopped his retort as his mind ran back to the event Asuma mentioned and began to recall what had occurred.

* * *

It had been only four days before the festival celebrating the defeat of the Kyuubi and the sacrifice made by those who had fought the great demon. Uzumaki Naruto had somehow snuck out of the orphanage without the elderly matron catching him. When it was discovered that he was missing the Hokage had immediately ordered a village wide search by the ANBU. The black ops unit had found the boy in a small out of the way clearing in the forest, but the scene that the Hokage arrived at was anything but pleasant.

Naruto had bee savagely beaten. The boy's blood was everywhere and there was so much of it one would have thought the boy would have been bled dry. His clothes were torn and charred looking, barely covering the young body. Having the shirt almost completely ripped open allowed the gathered ninja to see how the skin had been almost peeled from the torso and showed the pieces of rib broken through the muscle.

His head and face had been bashed repeatedly, probably with one of the bloody bricks nearby. The beating had been so bad that both eyes were swollen shut and the surrounding bruises had grown to the point of nearly bursting. Around his mouth were small flecks of white that if Sarutobi and the ANBU had not been the combat tested shinobi that they were they would have not recognized as pieces of Naruto's small teeth. His right ear looked as if it had been partially pulled off while the left appeared as nothing more than charred flesh.

Naruto's right leg was twisted completely around below the knee and his left leg had a compound facture with the femur sticking out through the side of the small child's thigh. His right hand had been mashed until it resembled something akin to raw meat. The right arm was slashed wide open to the point where the muscles had begun to peel back and the bone had become visible. Of course that bone was also broken in several places so it was difficult to tell where the greatest damage was done on the arm. When Sarutobi shifted his gaze to Naruto's left side he was aghast that the part of Naruto's left arm from the elbow down was simply gone.

Taking in the scene the old Hokage had felt a mixture of sorrow, anger, and shame boil up within him to the point where he felt sick. At least that is what he would later convince himself had made him feel ill and not the remains he saw before him that day.

Feeling tears begin to well up in his eyes the Sandaime had started to give orders. His first was to find the ones who had done this. He was especially clear that if the parties involved resisted than the ANBU operatives were to exercise the part of their training and charter that allowed them to execute a resisting criminal without trial. He had been happy to note that two of the ANBU captains present, one wearing the mask of a dog and the other that of a weasel, were quick to carry out the order and seemed to share little qualm in avenging the child who had been the vessel of the demon kitsune.

His second order was to the medical ninja and the seal specialists that had accompanied him. They would assist him in preserving the body and making sure the seal had taken affect so that the Kyuubi followed poor Naruto into the next world. After that the body would need to be prepared for cremation and burial. However, when the medic-nins had moved forward to place a preservation jutsu on the body so that it could be attended to one of the greatest surprises of Sarutobi's life, if not all of the lives of the individuals present, happened.

Naruto suddenly convulsed as air seemed to be forcefully taken into his lungs. Quickly the medics had rushed forward in attempt to save the boy who was miraculously not dead, as they had all assumed from the condition he was found in. When the medics then started to apply healing chakra and jutsus to the boy's mangled body the next greatest surprise to all those present occurred.

The medic-nins were blown backwards head-over-heals as a torrent of blood red demonic chakra exploded forth from Naruto.

The ANBU had immediately taken up positions to attack and defend depending on what occurred and even the Sandaime felt himself fall into a rough battle stance in preparation for the potential return of the Kyuubi no Youko. However, all present were even more startled by what began to occur before their eyes.

The chakra seemed to wrap Naruto in a protective shell, even going so far as to make a faux limb where the rest of his left arm should be. The red chakra had then begun to bubble and hiss as Naruto's wounds began to heal themselves.

His ribs made sickening pops as they were forced back into place and fused together as if new. The skin on his torso then began to look as if it were melting as it restructured itself to lose the cells that were already dead and merge with the new cells that were rapidly forming whole new layers of skin to cover the areas that had been ripped away.

His legs and right arm made horrible cracking noises as bone was pushed, pulled, and twisted back to its original position. A slight fizzing sound seemed to occur as the skin reformed and began to seal together without assistance. Naruto's right hand seemed to spasm as the shards of bone within it reconstituted themselves into the many intricate working joints and the muscle wrapped itself around them to make the hand function again.

Several ANBU lost there control and had to remove their mask as they vomited at the sight occurring before them. Sarutobi felt for them as he was barely holding down his own gag reflex and the small lunch that he had consumed. His focus was diverted for a second as he heard one of the medic-nin loudly and rapidly praying to whatever god or gods may be listening and quickly turned his gaze upon where the man was looking.

By this time Naruto's head had reared back as the flesh was pulled taught and the blood that had filled the swollen bruises about his eyes drained down his cheeks and onto the ground as his ears were reformed. As the flesh repaired itself Naruto's mouth opened wide as if in a silent scream only to reveal to those present the new teeth that were being pushed through rapidly healing gums. But that was not what had drawn the attention of the medic-nin pleading for some form of divine salvation; no that was reserved to what was occurring where the faux limb had been created on Naruto's absent left limb.

Where there had been nothing below the elbow before a sight both wondrous and horrifying was happening. Bone seemed to grow from nothing and was elongating down and splitting to form the needed forearm, wrist joint, and hand with a sound much akin to that of a bizarre mix of squirming maggots, bending wood, and squishing sludge. This sound intensified as brand new muscles, tendons, and ligaments began to form on the new bone as if the bone was secreting them. Finally, the sound was replaced by the low fizzing sound that seemed to accompany the growth of new skin.

With all of the wounds that had been seen upon arrival gone the demonic chakra seemed to pulse once before seeming to fade back into Naruto's little body. This left the almost five year old boy looking as if he was simply sleeping and nothing untoward had occurred, albeit the boy was now completely naked as the remains of his clothing had seemed to disappear under the chakra's influence in what could only be called an eerie mix of evaporation and incineration.

The Sandaime Hokage upon seeing that nothing else was occurring and that the crimson chakra of the Kyuubi could no longer be sensed outright began to move forward only to be stopped by an outstretched arm belonging to one of the ANBU captains that had remained to oversee the scene.

"I am sorry Hokage-sama, but the danger may not have passed," the woman began. "We can't know if the boy is still himself or if the fox is now in control. I don't think it is wise to…."

Her protest was cutoff as the aging Hokage gently pushed her arm down and began forward while motioning to the senior medic that had accompanied him earlier.

Kneeling down next to Naruto with the middle-aged medic he started, "I want you to check to make sure everything is where it should be and what Naruto's current health is while I check the seal for damage."

Nodding silently in agreement the two men soon set about their tasks with diagnostic jutsus flaring and scanning every inch of the young vessel's body. Upon completion the two men rose and the Hokage signaled for one of the ANBU to get something to wrap the boy in.

Looking to the medic-nin as well as the others present, Sarutobi decided to break the silence with his findings, "The seal is still present and appears to be undamaged. Apparently the fox sees Naruto as an investment and doesn't yet wish to see what death is like."

This statement caused a few nervous chuckles from the gathered ninja as they were still wary of what had just occurred. Sarutobi could hardly blame them as it is not everyday that one witnesses someone miraculously cheat death in such a blatant display.

Seeing the senior medic wishing to report his findings Sarutobi turned to the anxious man while a female ANBU gently picked up Naruto and wrapped him in a discarded ANBU cloak, cradling him to her shoulder so that he would be supported. This caused a slight smile to play on the Sandaime's lips as it was an indication that not all those in the village hated and feared the young boy as he turned to regard the medic.

"Hokage-sama, I have checked all of Uzumaki's vitals and his entire body for damage," the man nervously began. "I can't find any sign of his wounds from before, not even a single scar," the man said showing great confusion. "As far as I can tell he is in perfect condition, but I would like to get him back to the hospital to run a few more tests before I can be certain."

Seeing the conviction in the man to follow his oath as a healer, even if he was currently suffering from a major bout of fear and confusion at what he had just witnessed, Sarutobi nodded before issuing orders to that regard.

"I want Naruto under constant guard," he ordered the remaining ANBU. "One of you go and retrieve the matron at the orphanage. Take her to the hospital; she must be worried sick about what is going on. She is the only one allowed in and out to see Naruto other than myself and whoever you can vouch for Kenji," Sarutobi said while glancing at the senior medic who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Another group of you go and inform the council and the shinobi that have gathered that I will address them shortly, as I am sure many have felt the release of chakra here and are contemplating foolish actions without knowing what is actually happening," he began. "Make sure order is maintained as many are liable to panic and start rioting if given half a chance. I don't care if you have to arrest them just make sure the situation is contained."

With a chorus of 'Hai' the ANBU dispersed to accomplish there tasks while Sarutobi turned to regard Kenji who was still standing next to him as the other medics were racing back to the hospital to begin their own assigned tasks. They were hand picked by Kenji so Sarutobi was confident that they would not attempt to harm Naruto.

"There is something else you didn't say before Kenji," the aging Sandaime began. "We are alone now so what ever you have to say right now is between you and me."

Kenji felt himself shake slightly as he let out a breath before he began, "Hokage-sama, I have been a medic for a long time now. I started as one of the last students Tsunade trained before she left and since then I have striven to become as best a healer as I can…."

Sarutobi noticed Kenji pause for a moment and could tell the man was carefully trying to pick his words so as to convey exactly what he was feeling.

"I can say without hesitation," He continued, "that I have seen some horrible sights in my day. I'll even admit that I have seen worse wounds before, as hard as that is to believe. But, I have never seen that degree of wounds on someone still alive!"

The Hokage reached a hand out to steady the now visibly shaking Kenji. To see a medic-nin of Kenji's caliber and experience so disturbed by the initial wounds caused a tinge of fear to form in the elder man's mind.

"I can't tell you what just happened," Kenji began again having gotten hold of his shaking and looking his Hokage in the eye with a stern gaze. "What we witnessed is a medical miracle, but I can't think that it will not be without cost. I wish Tsunade was here as she would be better able to diagnose the situation than myself, but I can tell you this. What we saw just now, was not medically possible and by all rights that kid should be dead."

Hearing the conviction in Kenji's voice and having been witness to the event himself, the Sandaime silently agreed with the assessment. Turning to go and deal with the panic that would almost assuredly be spreading through the village despite the best efforts of the ANBU, he was stopped by one final statement from Kenji.

"I will do what I can to limit the information surrounding this event," Kenji began. "But you must know that those who hate and fear the boy will discover it and seek to use it against him and you. Be careful Hokage-sama, we can't afford to lose you."

* * *

Standing on the Hokage tower after having just come from a council meeting where parts of the event were fully revealed by the boy's enemies caused the aging Sandaime to look back and regard Kenji's words as prophetic.

Everything that could have been done was. Kenji had sealed the medical files to the highest level after determining that Naruto was not at risk for the moment from either the miraculously healed wounds or the demon that had been the source of that healing. The Hokage had returned to the village and quickly taken charge of the near mass panic that gripped the village.

He felt blessed that only seven individuals had to be arrested before most of those who had gathered after feeling the burst of energy had calmed down enough to listen to his explanation of the situation. The calm hadn't lasted long after that but it wasn't as bad as before and he, along with a few others that were either protective of Naruto or simply neutral to whole situation and merely wanted to not witness their own village be torn apart from the inside, dealt with the small crisis.

A group of angry and drunk civilians led by a rather drunk and disgruntled chunin were apprehended by the ANBU. These individuals were all now enjoying a fond stay at Konoha's military prison after having been interrogated by both Morino Ibiki and the Hokage himself. Apparently there were a few more who were involved, but the two ANBU captains that had led the investigation decided to follow the Hokage's orders to the letter.

As for Naruto, the boy had woken up the afternoon before his birthday as if he had in fact been simply taking an extra long nap rather then the near death experience that had actually occurred. Other than being startled that he was in the hospital and not back in his bed at the orphanage, Naruto's only other problem seemed that the boy had an insatiable appetite that had only been satisfied after a large ramen binge at Ichiraku's that had left the Hokage's wallet feeling a few pounds lighter. What was more startling then the boy's near endless love for and ability to consume ramen was the fact that he couldn't remember anything about the event other than he had gone to explore and find some flowers for the matron and then next he was waking up in the hospital.

The old Hokage couldn't help but shake his head slightly at the boy's ability to apparently bounce back from almost dieing with his trademark foxy grin.

Shifting his focus back to the matter at hand the elder Sarutobi began to address his son, "What you refer to is immaterial. The incident where the child was supposedly injured by Naruto was a simple playground scuffle where the other child went to push Naruto only to miss. The resulting fall caused the injury and I hardly see how Naruto can be blamed for that."

Looking Asuma in the eye he continued with the same steely tone marking that he would not take kindly to being interrupted.

"The incident that occurred before the festival was a one time occurrence and the seal is still functioning properly, we need not worry about the fox escaping," he continued while puffing energetically on his pipe. "As for Naruto's ability to disappear from the orphanage…well many young children are curious and love to explore, especially when they are told not too. You were no exception, if I recall your mother had to contact me several times when you went through the same phase."

"I'm surprised you even bothered to notice," Asuma replied indignantly.

The elder Sarutobi was taken aback for a moment before asking, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Asuma speared his father with another hard glare before he continued, "I mean you were barely ever around when any of us were growing up so it's hard to imagine you actually know anything about what things were like."

The aging Sandaime felt his heart plummet as he recognized the truth in his son's words. He had been so busy as Hokage that he had little time to spare when it came to his family. He had missed birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays all in order to preserve the village that he and his family called home.

Seeing his son blurt out what could only be years of anger at what the young jounin must have seen as neglect from the man who should have been the most important figure in his life not as a village head, but as a simple loving father caused his spirit to fall. The pain was evident in his voice as he attempted to explain to his son.

"I could have done things differently…I should have done things differently, but you must understand that what I did was not only for the good of the village but also for you, your mother, and your brothers and sister," the older man began only to be interrupted by his son once again.

"What we needed was you, not a Hokage but you," the young man said firmly. "I will never understand why you thought or why you still think that the village is more important than looking after your own family. I…."

Asuma was suddenly cut off by his father as the elder man's irritation seemed to return.

"Then you apparently didn't learn your lessons as well as I thought," the old Hokage stated heatedly. "If you had then you would have known that my duty as Hokage was more important than anything else, including my family."

Asuma seemed to recoil back as if he had suddenly been struck as the tone of his father hit him. He began to protest but was unable as the older man continued.

"It is the duty of a Hokage to protect the village no matter what the cost. In doing his duty he must see the village itself as his family," the old man intoned as he turned to face away from his son. "He must love it like no other, even if that means sacrificing things he cares the most about. You brothers understood that."

Asuma had begun to calm down as his father's words held wisdom, but the reference to his brothers reignited his anger as old wounds were torn open once again.

"They never understood it!" he yelled irately. "They died because they both hoped that they could get _your_ attention by showing that they could live up to _your_ reputation. You are 'The Professor', the 'god of shinobi', the great Sandaime Hokage what chance did they have in hoping to become recognized as strong _individuals_ when all they could think of was hoping to be more like you!"

The elder Sarutobi was shocked at the words of his only living son. He had always been worried that his children would seek to emulate him to the point of blinding themselves from there own desires, but he had thought that it wasn't a problem when they all began acting independently in their teens. The realization caused by Asuma's words caused that assumption to come crashing down.

Not letting up on his sire Asuma continued, "The only thing that stopped Asuka from following them to an early death was that she went and found someone she cared about and wound up preggers! Yet even that didn't totally save her as her fiancé felt he needed to impress you so that you would see him as a worthy match to her," Asuma said before pausing and letting his voice drop to barely above a whisper. "He's been gone know for nearly a year, but she still cries her eyes out whenever she is reminded of him."

"I never meant…," the Hokage began before being cut off once again by his son.

"I doesn't matter what you meant to do or not to do," his son said tiredly while turning his back to the old man as said man leant heavily on the railing surrounding the rooftop.

"I lied before," the young jounin sullenly stated. "After the council meeting I went to discuss an offer that had been made to me a few days ago. Chiriku was there."

Hearing the name of one of the elite Twelve Guards whose sole duty was the protection of the Fire Daimyo and his family caused the saddened Hokage to turn and stare at the back of his son in stunned silence.

"I have decided to accept his offer and become the newest member of the Twelve Guards," Asuma stated while drawing out a new cigarette to replace the one that had been lost while he had yelled at his father.

Knowing that the members of the elite group never strayed far from the Lord of Fire Country, the aging Sandaime realized that his son would need to travel to the capital of the Country of Fire in order to assume his duties.

Finding his voice the older man asked, "How long before you…?"

Before he could finish his question he was halted by his son's quick interjection.

"A week," the young jounin said dispassionately. "I will be leaving in a week."

"Have you told your mother or your sister yet?" the elder man asked knowing the two women of the Sarutobi clan would be close to a frenzy once they knew as they would work hard to throw a celebration to congratulate Asuma for earning a slot in the elite unit. He also knew the celebration would probably be one of the few times any of them would see Asuma until he left the position.

"I was planning on telling them tonight at dinner," Asuma answered before taking a long draw upon his cigarette. "I hope you will be able to attend."

With that the younger Sarutobi leapt off the roof top and headed into the village leaving his father standing alone to ponder all that had been said.

Thinking of all that he had just learned the Sandaime Hokage felt the weight of the world crash down upon him renewed vigor. He had already spent the morning fending off political attacks aimed at Naruto and now he had spent the better part of the noon hour arguing with his only living son, a son who would soon be entering into a position that was just as hazardous as those filled by the elite ANBU black ops members. He felt a slight shiver run down his spine as he realized that after a week's time he could potentially never see his son alive again.

While he was worried as any parent could be, the part of him that was the battle hardened ninja and Hokage accepted that fact. Truth be told he had every confidence in Asuma' abilities and doubted that he would lose him, but his mind couldn't help but hold onto that small dreadful thought. He would mourn the loss as any parent would, just as he still mourned the loss of his other boys. However, the real worry that he had was how his wife would take such a blow, she had been devastated when she had learned first of their eldest child's death and then of their second's not more than a year later. If Asuma was lost she would be inconsolable and slip into a depression that could have terrible consequences. Also, if what Asuma had said about Asuka was true it would not be just his wife that would necessitate careful watching and comforting.

Nearly lost in his own macabre thoughts of how his seemingly neglected family could fall apart at any moment the Hokage almost missed the new presence that joined him on top of the tower. Turning to face the new arrival he quickly hid his worry only to suddenly feel distress well up as he took in the ANBU member standing before him.

Normally the ANBU acted as the elite guards of Konohagakure serving the Hokage directly. Besides their usual duties they usually took only missions that required their black ops specialty. These missions often required that the village either not be identified with the actions undertaken during the mission, as it almost assuredly would lead to political and/or military actions taken against Konoha, or that Konoha be clearly identified as the mission was a statement of Konoha's power and/or vengeance.

To accomplish these missions the ANBU were divided up into divisions of specialty, though all of the members could easily carry out the skills of the other division if needed. The divisions were each overseen by a captain and each had its own function. There was a division specifically setup for torture and interrogation, currently being headed by the newly installed Morino Ibiki. Another division dealt mainly with assassination and sabotage, reminding the Hokage that one Mitarashi Anko was clamoring to be admitted to said division. A third division dealt almost exclusively with counterintelligence and clandestine surveillance of foreign countries and villages. This was not the only intelligence division however as another existed that acted as an internal police force separate from the Military Police that were seemingly controlled by Clan Uchiha. This division was one of the least popular as it spied upon ninja and civilian alike so long as they lived within the Land of Fire. The fifth and final division was an elite battle force. Though all of the ANBU members could boast skills in the areas of the other divisions the members of this division specialized in the preparation for war. These ANBU were the elite shock troops of Konohagakure and would either be leading the charge, acting as a rear guard during a withdrawal, or acting independently of the main battle force to harass and decimate the enemy through the use of guerilla tactics and independent ops. During these times of peace they spent most of their time training and preparing while they carried out the normal ANBU operations, often times they would be placed to assist in the guard duty of the walls and gates of Konoha as well as the security patrols that were done throughout the Country of Fire.

The ANBU member that stood before him now was a member of that last division and if his memory served him the Hokage believed that said member had been assigned to assist with guard duty at Konoha's main gate for the week. The fact that he was now standing before the Hokage and that the young man had a distinct nervous air about him could not possibly bode well.

"What is it!" the Sandaime inadvertently snapped causing the young ANBU member to visibly flinch, most likely worried that his report would inflame the old Hokage further.

Seeing the elite warrior recoil caused the older man to immediately regret that he was still allowing his frustrations from the preceding events to influence him and began to offer an apology to the shinobi who had only been attempting to carry out his duty.

"Forgive me for snapping so," he began, "it has been a trying day thus far."

The young ANBU showed no sign of either hearing or accepting the simple apology. It was not that he was trying to be rude or that he hadn't been paying attention, rather it was due to the fact that he was a member of the Konoha ANBU before his Hokage. If the Sandaime wished to snap at him then it was fine, if the old man had decided to immediately order his death the ANBU member would have offered no resistance and gladly accepted his fate. It was this sense of duty, honor, and pride that ruled the ANBU divisions and allowed them to commit acts that most people, including other shinobi, would find reprehensible.

Straightening his posture so as to show the proper respect to the leader of his village the elite shinobi reported, "Hokage-sama I believe that there may be a problem, a potential intruder to be more specific."

The Hokage had started to ask why this was of such importance as to immediately seek him out, but caught himself before actually speaking. The words the ANBU used brought a different set of questions to his mind. What did the young man mean by potential intruder? The ANBU never referred to any who attempted to infiltrate the village as possible or potential intruders, these individuals were always referred to as intruders regardless of the fact that they were discovered before entering the village of after entering.

Knowing this the Sandaime Hokage immediately slipped into his role as the primary military leader of the village by asking, "Clarify, are we suspecting someone of attempting to infiltrate or are we suspecting that someone has actually done so?"

Seeing his leader concerned that there could be a breach in security the ANBU member hesitantly replied, "It is difficult to explain Hokage-sama, I think that I witnessed someone enter illegally into the village, but I am not sure."

"You aren't sure?" the Sandaime questioned while arching a wrinkled brow.

This was even more curious than before. The ANBU never reported something unless they were entirely sure about the facts that had been gathered. The members of the elite black ops force only let intuition and instinct carry them so far, mainly in battle where stopping to gather one's thoughts could mean leaving an opening for an opponent to attack. The fact that these members were not full masters of every field of the shinobi craft did not mean they were not well versed enough to at least recognize abilities outside of their specialties. Though this member was young and had only been a part of the unit for a short while, he still should have easily been able to identify any attempt made by someone to use deceit and/or shinobi abilities such as Genjutsu or advanced Henge.

The fact that the ANBU had not recognized what had occurred immediately caused worry to grow within the old Hokage. It could be a simple mistake, but the Sandaime and his predecessors had not kept Konoha alive by assuming human error. No the old man's thoughts immediately turned darker as he began to go over the archive that was his mind, searching for any explanation of what could cause an ANBU to feel unsure about what they had witnessed. He did not like what he found.

He knew certain techniques existed that could be utilized to confound even himself. Such jutsu were almost always the property of a high powered ninja, most likely being A-rank to possibly even S-rank in status. There were a few exceptions as clans did exist that had developed and refined similar abilities until they were usable to some degree by nearly every ninja and kunoichi of the clan. Three excellent examples of such clan ability existed in Konoha itself: the mind-walking Yamanakas, the Sharingan wielding Uchiha, and the complex Genjutsu weaving Kurama. That another village would have clan abilities that could accomplish the task was not too far fetched, but he needed more information before he could identify the most likely answer.

Looking to the waiting ANBU member the wizened Hokage began to speak slowly in a firm voice, "I want you to tell me everything that happened, even the smallest detail."

"Hai Hokage-sama," the young ANBU answered smartly before recounting his tale.

* * *

He had just gotten on his shift at noon and was moving with is partner towards the main gate of Konoha to relieve the waiting ANBU members there from the morning shift. His thoughts danced lightly to what he would do after he was relieved in turn just before evening.

Maybe he would go with his partner and some of the other members of his squad to one of the little bar and grill establishments that some of the cute young kunoichi were starting to frequent. Yes, that would be a great idea especially since he had just finished the new Icha Icha Paradise book. He would have to see which of his squad mates wanted to go, but that wouldn't stop him from trying out some of the lines and pickup techniques he had just read about.

Landing before the enormous gate with a slight perverted blush, thankfully hidden by his ceramic mask, he began moving to where his morning counterpart was waiting with four chunin that were currently assigned to inspect any people, animals, and means of transport that may attempt entering or leaving the village. His partner began moving to the small guard booth where his own counterpart was waiting patiently.

As he moved to join the small group and signal that he was taking over for the afternoon shift his attention was suddenly grabbed by the other figure that was with the small group of Konoha shinobi guarding the entrance to the village. Stopping a few yards away he immediately began taking in the details of the figure.

The figure wore a long, grey traveling cloak. The cloak concealed much of the figure, but the young ANBU was able to see enough to gather some vital details.

The unknown figure was an elderly man with incredibly short silver-gray hair that only came through age and barely covered his balding head. The man's face was wrinkled and the skin weathered with a slight tan. A small scar ran from the old man's forehead straight down into the white hair of his right eyebrow. Around the man's mouth was a lean moustache and goatee of short white hair. The man was leaning heavily upon a cane or walking stick of some sort while he conversed with the Konoha shinobi. The fact that the man was hunched down over his walking stick made it difficult to tell how tall he might be, but measuring the curve of the body the black ops member would have guessed that the man was possibly around the stature of five feet ten or so.

From where he was standing the ANBU member could clearly hear that his counterpart and the four chunin were asking the elderly man for identification and that they were positioning themselves to forcefully inspect the man if he became belligerent.

What occurred next took him by surprise.

The old man seemed to regard the shinobi impeding his entrance for a moment before raising his hand and giving a slight wave.

The ANBU member suddenly felt something tug at his senses and the world around him seemed to shift slightly out of focus. Shaking his head thinking he was simply dizzy from the quick journey from the ANBU Headquarters to the main gate. He was not prepared for what he experienced next.

"You don't need to see my identification," a voice that was not his own seemed to whisper in his head disturbing the young man. "You're very busy here, I shouldn't bother you. I should move along now."

The voice in his head was not the most disturbing part, but rather that he felt himself agreeing to what the voice instructed. Even more disturbing than that was that the other Konoha shinobi seemed to be under the same sway, most noticeably his counterpart who seemed to transcribe the words of the voice back to the old man as he spoke.

Seeing the old man beginning to shuffle into the village unchallenged the young ANBU had attempted to turn and confront him. Unfortunately it seemed that his body was refusing to work. Panicking and quickly concentrating upon his chakra he began to expel the energy finding that doing so seemed to clear the slight haze from his mind and allow the world to come back into focus. Finding that he had control of his limbs once again, he turned to yell at the old man who it seemed had already moved nearly twenty yards into the village. However, as soon as his mouth opened to shout the old man seemed to quickly faze out of existence.

Feeling his eyes opening wide in surprise he turned quickly to the other gate guards only to see them going about as if nothing had happened at all.

* * *

"None of the others could remember the old man," The young ANBU began to finish his tale before looking straight at the Hokage. "I was sure of what happened and alerted the village patrols of him before coming to find you, but now I can't tell if I imagined the whole thing or not."

The Hokage puffed lightly on his pipe taking in the story of the ANBU standing in front of him before asking, "Are you certain about the description you gave?"

The young man seemed to hesitate for a moment before responding, "I…iie, Hokage-sama I can't be completely certain, but I am certain about remembering grey eyes."

Sarutobi suddenly stopped the draw he had been taking on his pipe at that statement. Staring straight at the man before him he felt a memory coming into focus as he asked, "Grey eyes?"

"Hai Hokage-sama, I am sure of it now. The man looked back at me when I turned and he had grey eyes, like smoke," the ANBU stated as a shiver seemed to crawl up his spine as he recalled the hard gaze and those steely orbs.

Looking back towards the Hokage the black ops member found the older man deep in thought as he puffed on his pipe.

The old Hokage's eyes suddenly snapped open in revelation before spearing the young ANBU with a strong gaze while the elder man spoke.

"Tell the patrols to stand down and resume there normal duties," the Sandaime said while moving towards the railing facing out into the village. "I want you to return to your duties at the gate. I will not need assistance in confronting the intruder."

With that the Sandaime Hokage leapt out into the village to find his quarry.

* * *

Within the graveyard of Konoha a cloaked figure stood. His eyes were focused upon the sealed crypt that lay before him. The black onyx doorway with a white and gray granite door was recessed back into a stony hill. The door and the archway around it were all detailed with sealing symbols that would protect the tomb from any who sought to desecrate the dead. The only other markings upon the structure were a set of katana that were carved directly into the stone archway and a pair of crossed katana below the family name carved into the door.

Though one could not see past the door the man knew that a steep stairway descended down from the entranceway into a chamber that split off to a number of small individual graves. Those graves each contained a single, small urn containing the ashes of a member of his family. Standing there his thoughts turned to those he had personally interred within the vaults beneath his feet.

His reminiscing was interrupted by the faint presence he felt appear a few yards behind him. Recognizing the chakra signature he did not bother to turn and face his _guest_, instead he seemed to let his gaze rest upon the macabre memorial before him hoping that he would be left in alone with his memories. A long sigh escaped him as the figure behind him did not leave but instead took a step forward to address him.

"You gave one of the ANBU members on guard earlier quite the scare," the Sandaime Hokage began. "Made the poor boy believe he had perhaps encountered a spirit or possibly imagined the entire thing."

"Hmmph," the cloaked figure responded in annoyance. "To fall so easily to a simple Kyogi no Tama, it seems that your ninja are losing there effectiveness _Hokage-sama_."

The aging Hokage decided to ignore the slight and mocking tone that accompanied it retorting with, "Your aptly named Soul Deception is quite the little mind trick, besides many of Konoha's shinobi have not had the privilege of experiencing and learning about the technique."

"He didn't fair that much better with my Shunpo either," the man responded in a rather cheeky manner. "One would think that the famed Konoha ANBU would be able to deal with a single use of a Flash Step."

"Considering you are the last master of those techniques how can you blame those young ones from never having had the chance to actually see it," the Sandaime explained. "Few of his generation have had such a privilege, even more so considering your years of absence and what has occurred during them."

The old Sarutobi paused as the even older man in front of him turned to face him before continuing with a small smile, "It has been several years since I last saw you Shugorei Jinjiro."

Jinjiro brought his steely gaze to fully rest upon the Sandaime as the traveling cloak fell away slightly to reveal the traditional black robes of his clan. Gazing at the Hokage with what could only be described as mild contempt Jinjiro responded in a low growl, "And yet I remember that last time as if it were only yesterday."

* * *

Rain fell upon Konohagakure in a near relentless deluge. It was going on a week since it had begun and it seemed almost fitting that the heavens would weep for the fallibility of man during the times when he was at his most malicious.

The Third Great Shinobi War was finally beginning to come to a close after nearly eight full years of near constant warfare. The allied forces of Iwagakure, Amegakure, and Sunagakure had battled the combined forces of Konohagakure, Kusagakure, and Takigakure. The other powerful shinobi nations, Kumogakure and Kirigakure, had not chosen sides in the conflict preferring instead to engage each other in skirmishes for control of the lucrative shipping lanes in the gulf separating the two villages' home countries.

Tremendous losses, including the mysterious disappearance of their Sandaime Kazekage shortly before the beginning of the conflict had finally caused Suna to withdraw its forces and accept terms of peace. Even now they were being pressed by their own Wind Daimyo to make a nonaggression pact and perhaps a potential alliance with Konoha in order to secure stability between the two powers.

Iwagakure had suffered the most grievous losses of all the powers involved. Nearly sixty percent of its shinobi lay dead upon the field of battle. Another fifteen percent were unfit to ever be active shinobi again, suffering from both physical and psychological wounds. The Tsuchikage was now far more interested in keeping the remaining twenty-five percent alive and loyal. As such it would seem he would sue for peace before the month was over.

The County of Rain had been decimated by the conflict, losing much of its agricultural lands to the skirmishes and battles that had raged. Amegakure was only being kept together by the will of its leader, Hanzou. Many speculated that a coup or civil war would erupt if the country and its ninja village had attempted to continue prosecuting the war.

Takigakure and Kusagakure, as well as their respected countries, shared similar losses. Both powers had lost many of their elite ninja and were now pushing hard to get their greener warriors to fill the gap. Though there efforts were producing worthwhile results it would still be quite awhile before either would willingly go to war again.

It seemed that only Konohagakure had faired well amongst all those involved. Though it had suffered the loss of many of its shinobi, including the betrayal and escape of Orochimaru, the village was still strong enough to continue the war on its own if it chose to do so. The excellence of its shinobi had caused it to overcome many of the hardships that had nearly destroyed the other countries. However, it seemed that the still strong village would allow the conflict to end, as many of its goals had been met, and had already begun sending envoys to the other powers to discuss the formalization of the peace. Despite the seemingly quiet return to peace one major event would mar the end of the war.

This single event had been carried out by a small group of Konoha shinobi and took place in a town on the border between the Country of Grass and the Country of Rain. This one incident would mark the end of the war not with a whimper but a resounding bang that would carry across the whole of the Elemental Countries.

Currently the man who had been in charge of that small group from Konoha was packing scrolls into a large drawstring bag in a room that had nearly been stripped bare of its contents.

Shugorei Jinjiro was not in a good mood; in fact if one had dared to approach him he probably would have decapitated the interrupting party with the Zanpakuto at his side. It had been fifty-six years since he had witnessed the formation of Konohagakure. His platinum blond hair had faded to whitish-gray and was receding further with every year that passed. His smoky grey eyes had crows feet around them but still shown with a defiant fury. A thin white moustache adorned his upper lip and wrinkles now marked his tan and weathered skin. No longer was he the small boy he had been as he had topped out at five feet ten inches after his last growth spurt when he was an adolescent. No longer was he the young thirteen year old instead he was now sixty-eight and the former head of Clan Shugorei.

His brother Hohiro had held the position for fifteen years after that faithful day when the Shugorei had entered into a formal alliance to form a new village by accepting the offer of the man who would be the Shodaime Hokage of Konohagakure. Hohiro, shortly after having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, had surrendered the position to Hideyoshi before his death a few months later. Hideyoshi himself had only held the office for ten years before dieing upon the field of combat during the early months of the Second Great Shinobi War. From there Jinjiro had worn the title and carried it for the next twenty-eight years before vacating the position for the election of his eldest grandson, Tesshin, three years ago.

As he packed the bag that sat next to him he thought back to the words that his eldest brother had penned all those years ago for the 'The Chronicles'.

Hohiro had made the promise that the Shugorei would defend Konohagakure and they had done so. The clan prospered through what they internally termed 'The Joining' and had formed the core that would later become the deadly ANBU force of the village. They had destroyed many who would attempt to prey upon their new home earning glory and fame. Even now nearly all of the members of the clan were members of the shinobi forces of Konoha. His granddaughter Naiya was the current commander of the ANBU and as such the highest ranked ninja next to the Hokage and the clan heads.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running approaching the room he was in. The running stopped as the door was slid open and pushed to the side. He didn't bother to turn knowing simply by the chakra signature that the figure was his other granddaughter, Kushina.

Hearing her panting and the subtle drip of water on the floor he knew that she must have just returned from her last mission and learned the news, her first words only confirmed his thoughts.

"What the hell are you doing?" the young redheaded kunoichi shouted. "I am gone for a month and I come back to this?"

Jinjiro paused for a moment in his packing before answering her, "It was necessary…just as this is."

"Bullshit!" she exclaimed while storming forward into the room. "I don't know why you did what you did or why you are now doing this, but if Kagome-obaachan was here she would be kicking your ass right now!

Hearing the name of his dearly departed wife and the angry tone of Kushina's voice caused him to turn and let loose the anger that he had been holding within himself for the last few days.

"She would have understood what has occurred for she lived as I did before this soft life of a village claimed us." he coldly retorted. "She saw just as I did that the peaceful living in this village has dulled our edge and almost divorced us from the true horror of warfare. You and your generation are a fine example of that fact considering the battle reports I have read and the missions that I have lead throughout this war."

Letting his angry smoky grey eyes meet her own light amber ones he continued before she could respond, "I taught you all of the skills of this clan and you should understand our history and exactly why I have done as I did far better than anyone."

Kushina broke the gaze he held with her as she bit her lower lip slightly. Shame seemed to rise up within her and tears could be seen to form at the sides of her eyes. Her jounin vest and the orange sleeved blouse she wore under it were soaked from the rain but that was not the cause of the shiver that made her bring her arms up to hug herself.

Seeing his granddaughter in such a state caused Jinjiro to lose much of his anger. For a moment he did not see the strong and beautiful young kunoichi. Instead he saw the little girl that he had taken in to personally train after her parents, Shugorei Kiyone and Uzumaki Hyo, had fallen in battle.

She had been such a little spitfire at that time and her tomboyish antics had hidden the grief that the young ten year old girl had constantly felt. As a loving grandfather, as well as the Head of the Shugorei, he had taken it upon himself to take up her training and development personally. They had developed a close relationship of master and apprentice besides the one of grandfather and granddaughter. Jinjiro, perhaps subconsciously blaming himself for the loss of his daughter and her husband, made sure to train the young Kushina far harder than he had ever done with any of the other Shugorei students. The training had paid off better than he could have predicted as Kushina not only opened up more but also began to quickly climb through the ranks of Konoha's shinobi before becoming a full jounin at the age of sixteen.

Thinking back to that little girl who had been so afraid at the time forced him to let go of his anger and embrace his favorite grandchild. She was quite tall as the crown of her head reached his nose and he could smell the mixture of sweat and rain that soaked the red hair she had inherited from her father.

After a few moments of comforting her she broke from his embrace and looked to him with that soft gaze that she always had used when she wanted answers.

"Please ojiisan," she began. "Tell me what happened and why you are doing this."

Looking at her before moving towards the doorway to stare out past the covered breezeway into the gardens that lay at the back of the Shugorei compound he sighed knowing he could not hide the truth from her.

"Two weeks ago your cousin Akagane was leading a peace delegation to a small town sitting astride the border between the Country of Rain and the Country of Grass," the elder Shugorei began solemnly. "As you know Akagane had flourished in the diplomatic corp. ever since that mission where he lost the use of his legs several years ago. Since he was regarded as one of the best negotiators it was decided that he would be in charge of the negotiating with this town as it had declared itself independent of both countries during the middle of the war."

Kushina nodded knowing that her younger cousin had become an excellent diplomat since his accident and was often called in by the Hokage to help represent Konoha at meetings with foreign dignitaries. Kushina had always found him to be a sweet person that made fun of his disability and always put others before himself. She had been unaware that he had been sent out of the village.

"We are unsure what exactly occurred but upon arrival at the village Akagane and his party were ambushed by a group of rogue missing-nin and the civilians of the town," Jinjiro continued while gazing out into the rain. "We learned through a spy that the villagers helped the missing-nin torture them to death before parading the bodies around the town and hanging them at the entrance gate."

Gasping in horror Kushina felt her anger rise as the knowledge that a diplomatic party was not only attacked and killed but that they had been desecrated afterwards. The fact that the leader of the party had been her crippled cousin Akagane only added fuel to the fire.

Before she could interject Jinjiro started to speak again, "When I found out about the incident two days after it occurred I went to the Sandaime to lead the mission to retrieve the bodies and punish the town. When I arrived at his office he informed me that no hostile action would be taken and a new diplomatic party was being formed to visit the town."

Kushina could feel the wave of anger that swelled forth from her grandfather and was forced to sit down on the floor due to the killing intent that accompanied it. Knowing that her grandfather had moved to teaching members of the clan and only taking the occasional mission she could tell that for him to want to go he must have all but demanded it from the Hokage. She looked to his back to see if he would continue.

Pausing to let his anger dampen Jinjiro remembered the fury he had unleashed upon the office of the Hokage and then the training grounds after being denied the right to fulfill not only the honor of the Shugorei but also of Konoha. The office would need extensive remodeling and the field was now almost useless except for wasteland environment training.

Having gotten his anger in check he began again, "Having been denied I contacted your uncle Jyuushiro and met up with him and his ANBU platoon in the field, I brought with me seven others who could not stand by and allow the honor of the village to be tarnished in such a way."

Jinjiro turned to look down towards his granddaughter and began to let his voice come out in an angry yet regretful tone, "Our group made its way to the town. There we found the bodies strung up at the entrance, they had been stripped and desecrated before being left for the wild animals and carrion birds."

He thought to how he had seen his grandson's body stripped bare. How his belly had been slit open and his organs pulled out before being burned and left to dangle. He saw how the young man's Zanpakuto had been taken and pushed blade first up through its master's rectum until it poked through where the stomach had been. The abject look of terror and pain upon the bloody face of Akagane had told the experienced Shugorei that his grandson had still been alive when all this had occurred. Jyuushiro had been just as horrified to see the state of his nephew.

Letting his anger rise up again he almost began to yell as he continued the tale for Kushina, who was now crying once again, "I ordered those in our group to roundup all of the inhabitants of the village as well as their missing-nin 'protectors'. After they were gathered I took all of the missing-nin and executed them myself. I then turned upon the townspeople."

Kushina gasped as tears streaked her face.

"I had our group line all of the people up before I began to count them off by fives," Jinjiro said with anger and hate. "I then forced the first four of each group to beat the fifth member to death. They all did it; mothers killed children, lovers took the life of the one they had pledged themselves to, neighbor beat upon neighbor all because they wanted to live and only that one person needed to die for them to be granted that wish. I saw a man and his children beat his pregnant wife to death just because they wanted to save themselves. Not a single one of them refused to carryout the deed, the cowards."

Tears ran silently down Kushina's face not only for her cousin but now also for the horror that was being related to her by the man she had thought the world of, the man who had loved and taken care of her, the man who had taught her how to be strong and a true shinobi worthy of the name Shugorei.

"After they were finished I had them take down the bodies of our fallen and wrap them in the finest the town had to offer so that they could be brought back for a proper funeral," the elder Shugorei continued with a tone that showed how he despised those people. "Before we left the town we razed it to the ground with the remaining townsfolk in the buildings. I personally made sure that there were no survivors of those craven vermin."

Turning to once again stare out the doorway Jinjiro allowed a few moments to pass so Kushina could fully digest what he had said and done.

Sensing she was ready to hear him continue he began to speak after moving to finish packing his bag, "When we returned to Konoha we were arrested for disobeying orders, abandoning our posts, and committing a war crime."

Jinjiro scoffed slightly as he said that last charge. Konohagakure under the Sandaime had indeed grown soft as Sarutobi had been able to pass a law a few years after taking office that disallowed members of the village's shinobi from using tactics that were deemed 'beyond the scope of civilized warfare'. He had argued in the village council chambers for hours against the ludicrous nature of the law and that in war one must sometimes do the unspeakable in order to ensure the safety and preservation of one's own comrades and home. Unfortunately not enough members of the council had agreed and he along with just over a third of the council were overruled.

Having finished packing the last scroll he began to cinch the bag shut and tie it off so no of the contents would accidentally come out should the bag fall or be disrupted.

Hefting the bag to test its weight he turned to regard his granddaughter who was now standing looking at him, or rather she was looking straight through him.

"This past week I and my companions have stood before the council for our crimes," Jinjiro stated calmly. "It was decided that since I was the architect of the incident, as well as the ranking shinobi present, I should carry the full weight of the punishment. I accepted this and told them I would not fight it so long as those who had followed me were pardoned fully for their involvement."

Setting the bag back down as he was satisfied with the weight and the distribution of the contents he saw Kushina continue to gaze through him as if she had never seen him before.

Sighing the former Shugorei Lord moved towards her only to see her recoil slightly when he approached.

Feeling hurt he turned back to his bag before speaking softly, "I was fully ready to accept the penalty of death for what I had done, but Tesshin would not allow it. He argued that because I was a former clan head and the incident was due in part to my anger over the death of Akagane and the loss of honor that came with leaving his body out there to be desecrated further that the right to punish me was an internal clan issue and that the council should remand me to his custody."

Jinjiro paused for a moment as he heard the sound of steel being drawn and turned to see Kushina with her Zanpakuto at the ready.

"Since you are here Jinjiro-ojiisama I would assume he was successful," Kushina said with a distinctive cold tone. "Yet if that is the case what are you doing still armed and not in shackles?"

Jinjiro looked to where his own Zanpakuto sat near the bag he had been packing before looking back to Kushina and responding, "Yes, Tesshin must have used up many of the political favors that I have garnered over the years so that I could stand here instead of in a cell waiting for the executioner. As for why I am not shackled or under guard, well Tesshin has decided that my punishment is to be exile instead of confinement or death."

Seeing that Kushina still had not sheathed her own weapon and was still looking at him as if he was going to suddenly turn into a monster and go on a rampage he let out a sigh as he turned to grasp his Zanpakuto. Sensing her tense he calmly slid the sheathed weapon into the white obi that held tight his black kimono before turning to regard her again.

"I have assumed that Tesshin has given me such a punishment to placate the council members desiring my death yet at the same time rewarding me for avenging and bringing back the body of his little brother as well as the others," he remarked coolly. "I was granted time long enough to stay here until you returned so that I could wish you goodbye."

At that statement Kushina's Zanpakuto dropped from its ready position to dangle idly form her fingers as her head dropped and her red bangs fell down to shadow her eyes.

"Ojiisama…I," she began in a sad tone before she found herself once again being embraced by her grandfather as he made quieting noises to calm her as he had often done when she was still a child.

"Shh Kushina-hime," Jinjiro said softly as he held the woman that would always be his little Shugorei princess. "I will always love and care for you no matter what. If you ever need me I will return, exile be damned."

The two stood there for a moment longer before breaking apart with Jinjiro moving to get his bag and the black cloak that would protect him from the rain and other elements.

"I'm going to marry him," he heard suddenly before turning once again to regard his granddaughter.

"I know that you don't exactly approve of him, but Minato is a good man and I love him," she said quietly. "He is already preparing to accept being the Yondaime Hokage when the Sandaime formally steps down in a few weeks."

Pausing to weigh his words carefully Jinjiro began, "If he makes you happy then what I think doesn't matter…, but I still think he is wrong for you and that you could do so much better than him."

"All of this just because he based his Hiraishin upon the Shunpo and happened to improve upon it," Kushina fired back with a playful smirk.

"The village was already given a version of the technique to use when we developed Shunshin, they were foolish enough to let other villages copy it so I didn't think that it was prudent to let him develop and use a technique that is even closer to the original," Jinjiro grumbled. "That and he happens to be descended directly from the Nidaime Hokage make me find him to be…."

He was cut off as Kushina lightly hit him in the head with the pommel of her Zanpakuto.

"Very well I will give you my blessing," he said reluctantly as he put on his traveling cloak and hefted his bag over his shoulder before asking in a sadder tone. "Will you walk with an old man one last time before he leaves?"

Kushina nodded silently as she sheathed her weapon and took the arm he offered before walking out of the room and towards the entrance of the compound. As they passed through the halls she noted that they were noticeably quiet and that none of the other members of the clan seemed to be about. Upon rounding the corner that let them into the main courtyard just inside the entrance she gasped lightly at the sight before her.

Standing in row upon row of traditional black Shugorei armor were the warriors of the clan. None of them fidgeted as the strict discipline that had been instilled in them kept them from taking notice of the rain that poured down upon them. Behind them stood the civilians and servants of the clan in similar rows, though they were not as straight nor did they have the uniformity of clothing that the warriors possessed.

As the two moved parallel to them along the railed and covered walkway Kushina was even more surprised to see a small group waiting for them at the top of the small steps that would allow one to step down from the stone walkway into the courtyard.

The group was an odd mix. Standing prominently at the front was Tesshin with his own black armor and the white haori that denoted his status as Lord Shugorei. Slightly behind him to the left was the white and red robed form of the Sandaime Hokage who seemed to be idly puffing upon a small pipe. On the right was someone she new very well, the man she loved, Namikaze Minato. Flanking Minato were his two remaining students, a young jounin named Kakashi and a young chunin medical-nin named Rin.

Moving forward towards the group she was surprised when her grandfather guided her past Tesshin and the Hokage in order to stop in front of Minato.

Raising his head slightly to look at the taller, young successor to the position of Hokage in the eye Jinjiro took the hand that Kushina had laid upon his arm as they had walked and offered it to the young man know as 'Konoha's Yellow Flash'.

"I don't like you and I never will," he grumbled out. "However, I can't seem to talk her out of any of this so I will say this to you."

Narrowing his eyes and letting the full force of his steely gaze fall upon Minato he continued, "If you ever allow harm to befall her I will personally hunt you down and make you repent for it in ways you can not even begin to fathom, this will stand true even if I have to fight the Shinigami himself to return to the land of the living to do so."

Kushina was about to scold her protective grandfather when she was halted by Minato taking her offered hand before giving a silent bow as a sign of his acceptance of those terms.

Turning away from the couple Jinjiro regarded his grandson, Tesshin.

"You have made me proud and I foresee you becoming an even better leader of the Shugorei than you already are," the elder man solemnly said. "Remember to always follow your honor and the honor of the clan despite what outsiders may say or think. Duty, honor and independence have always been the way of the Shugorei."

Tesshin nodded in understanding, "I will ojiisama. I have made it so your skills won't be sealed when you leave and that hunter-nin will not be sent out after you."

Jinjiro nodded in recognition of his grandson's acts as he could have easily just have thrown the elder Shugorei out without anything after having been sentenced to exile. Clapping his hand on the young leader's shoulder as a sign of camaraderie, respect, love, and silent farewell Jinjiro turned to lock his eyes upon the Sandaime.

"Just as I said to your successor, I have never and will never like you. More so because you have sought this fallacy you call peace and thus dulled the edge of Konoha's shinobi," he coldly stated. "At the same time I have to acknowledge that while I find much of your philosophy despicable, I do respect that you stand by and even attempt to defend your foolish beliefs. I pray that you may be proven right, though I know that you never will be."

Accepting the silent nod from the Hokage Jinjiro turned to face the gathered Shugorei before addressing them, "I have done many things in my life and I do not regret any of them. Instead I accept them as both my triumphs and my failings. I have had the honor of leading you and the honor of training many of you. I know that you will adhere to and uphold our creed of honor, duty, and independence. You have all made me proud to have lived amongst you and know that we are not only clan but a true family. Though I leave you now know that my heart, my mind, and my soul will always seek to remain with you."

With those parting words he hefted the bag he had set down when wishing his goodbyes. Making sure it was secure he pulled up the hood of his cloak and began to descend the few steps into the courtyard.

As if one the whole of the Shugorei clan turned on their heel to stand at firm attention and watch him walk the path down their ranks that lead to the open gate of the compound. As he was halfway down the path the gathered warriors unsheathed their Zanpakuto in a single motion, raising them towards the clouded sky on a perfect forty-five degree angle as a silent salute to there now exiled member.

Shugorei Jinjiro continued his walk to the gateway and the main gate only a ways beyond it. He never once turned to look back at the village, the friends, the comrades, the family, and the home he was leaving.

* * *

Standing silently in the graveyard a slightly older Shugorei Jinjiro and Sandaime Hokage regarded each other in front of the crypt that held the remains of Clan Shugorei.

Breaking the silence Jinjiro spoke in a cold tone, "Seven years have passed since that day. Just about two years after it the Kyuubi no Youko struck and decimated the village. I understand that my clan now lies in the crypt behind me. I guess I have you to thank for that."

"Yes," the Sandaime began. "I made sure that there remains were properly handled and buried within. I understand if you want to hold a formal funeral according to your clan traditions and will make sure that…."

"No," the steely Jinjiro responded cutting off the kindly Hokage. "I did what I needed shortly after hearing their fate. We Shugorei only mourn for a short while preferring instead to celebrate the loss as the individual has returned to the Shinigami who originally forged what would become our clan. We are shadow before we live, shadow during that time, and thus do we return to shadow when that life is over."

The Hokage stood in silence recognizing a tenet of the Shugorei's belief in their origin. Though he himself thought that the clan was slightly off for believing that they were directly connected to the god of death, he did have to admit he himself had witnessed members of the clan do things that defied any rational explanation. That the Shugorei member who did such an unbelievable thing always died afterwards did make it all but impossible to question them in whether or not they had actually had intervention from the Shinigami. What he did know was that if not for Kushina the Yondaime would not have been able to apparently contact the Shinigami to seal the Kyuubi away in the seal that Minato had created.

Jinjiro broke the thoughts of the Hokage as he began to speak once again, "So why have you called me back here? To the best of my knowledge I am still under exile unless you have somehow convinced the village council to overturn the sentence.'

"I have been trying to contact you for the last five years," the old Hokage responded to the cold yet rather cheeky Shugorei. "Since I hadn't heard from you I was beginning to believe that you were either dead or didn't want to be found."

"You should know me better than that Sarutobi," Jinjiro mocked. "Your predecessors always remarked that I was too mean to die."

Joining the chuckling of the old Shugorei the Hokage remembered hearing the story of how at the celebration that had occurred at the Shugorei camp shortly after the agreement to form Konohagakure one thirteen year old Shugorei Jinjiro broke the nose of a slightly intoxicated Nidaime after the man made a rather rude pass at one of the civilian females of the Shugorei. The resulting scuffle had proved too entertaining to stop and had only ended when the two combatants had gotten too close to killing one another. The next day they had both awoken in rough shape with the Nidaime joking about the dangers of not being careful about teenage midgets. That joke had caused another brawl that left the Nidaime always watching over his shoulder in wariness whenever Jinjiro was around and Jinjiro swearing something akin to a blood oath against the man who would become the second Hokage of Konoha.

"I hardly think a graveyard is appropriate to discuss this matter," the Sandaime began immediately sobering up after the small moment of humor. "There are too many songbirds that could interrupt us and distort our conversation."

Immediately catching the terminology that the matter was important enough that they couldn't risk that there were spies, either ones from foreign powers or from Konoha itself, about that would attempt to make use of the information Jinjiro nodded in acknowledgement.

"Good," the Hokage acknowledged with a smile. "Let us go back to my office. We can enjoy some refreshments while we talk."

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto was currently cursing his luck as he nursed a bloody cut on his forehead. In truth he should be thanking his luck as he had just narrowly escaped the small, angry group that had started after him when he was found in the alleyway.

The group had been yelling at him and chasing him for quite a while and had started to throw things at him. They had nearly cornered him in a dead end alley. In a way he was lucky that one of the large glass bottles that were thrown at him hit him in the head. While the bottle had shattered and left him dazed and injured he had stumbled over to lean against one of the walls to the side of the alley when he had suddenly felt himself falling.

As luck would have it the young boy had leaned against a thin patch covering an old drainage pipe that was just slightly larger than himself. He had fallen through the patch when he put his weight against it and rolled down the length of the pipe into an alleyway one full block away from where he and the angry group had been.

Shaking his head slightly to try and clear out the dizziness that had accompanied his tumultuous little getaway he let his hand move up to check the small wound left by the bottle. Checking his fingers he was surprised to find that the bleeding had apparently stopped. Knowing that he would have quite the bump and bruise, he decided that it was probably best to head back to the orphanage now.

Knowing the kindly old matron would have discovered that he was missing by now he decided that it would be best to only be scolded for his little exploration trip and the small injury that he had acquired rather than get caught by her if she came out looking for him or had the man with the triangle hat find him. Unfortunately as he stepped out of the alleyway into the village street he realized that he had no idea where he was or which way to go to get back home.

* * *

**AN:**_Wow I can't believe that I have gotten this chapter done so quickly. I had started working on it before I finished the Prologue, but it was only a rough outline at that point. Considering the papers, research, and general work I have been doing this week I really have no idea how exactly I pulled this off. I had originally thought that I wouldn't have this chapter done until at least two weeks after I first posted the Prologue, yet here it is nearly a full week early. As I promised my first reviewer Naruto showed up in this chapter and I am moving fully into the full plot of this story. I would like to note that I have played with the canon timeline a little bit. Konohagakure is a bit older than in canon and the Sandaime is a few years older as well. These changes won't really affect the story too much but I feel that I should be honest about it before someone angrily points it out. As I said previously this will be slightly AU in nature so don't take too much offense. I hope to have the next chapter up in at least two weeks depending upon what my schedule turns out to be like. Below this note I have made a jutsu list to explain a few of the techniques already mentioned in this chapter. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will tune back in for the rest of the story._

_Thanks,_  
**Tyrchon**  
-,-

Jutsu Report (warning – for approved eyes only):

_**Kyogi no Tama**_ – Literally meaning deception of the soul it is a Genjutsu that affects the mind of the victim(s). This Clan Shugorei jutsu is limited by the control of the user and can only be used in close proximity to the intended target. The technique is not perfect and can be overcome by a strong will or the use of chakra to dispel the effects. (yeah it is based upon the Jedi mind trick, but that is such a cool technique I couldn't help but think it appropriate for the shinobi world of Naruto)

_**Shunpo**_– Meaning flash step it is a Ninjutsu based acceleration and speed technique. It focuses the user's chakra to the muscles and allows the user to accelerate to speeds that make them seem to disappear as if they simply fazed out of existence. The technique relies upon good control and adequate chakra reserves as it can drain the user quite quickly if used for prolonged periods or over great distances. This Clan Shugorei technique is the basis for the more commonly used Shunshin and the Yondaime's personal jutsu, Hiraishin. (redeployed and adapted from Bleach for use here)

_**Shunshin**_– The body flicker technique was a Ninjutsu developed by the Shugorei for general usage by the rest of Konoha's forces. Unfortunately the information regarding the technique was slipped and acquired by other ninja powers who adapted it to their own needs with a few variations. The technique allows a ninja to disappear and reappear quickly and is often marked with the use of elements nearby such as mist, sand, or leaves swirling about the user as they appear and disappear. The technique is similar to the Shunpo but has a far greater cost in terms of control and chakra consumption especially when used for prolonged periods or for great distances. Also, it is less versatile than the original as it can't be stopped in mid use to quickly change direction making the technique far more linear.

_**Hiraishin**_– Named for the flying thunder god the technique is the personal Ninjutsu creation of Namikaze Minato its only known user. Based originally upon the Shunpo Minato sought to redevelop Shunshin so that it would be closer to the original jutsu in terms of ability and benefit. However, he found quickly that due to certain secrets held by the Shugorei he could not fully redevelop Shunshin. Utilizing knowledge of Kuchiyose to fill in for the unknown secrets Minato ended up developing a jutsu based upon the same principles regarding 'space-time'. Utilizing special seals marking kunai Minato is able to travel instantly to where the kunai and seal are located. Because of the flash of yellow seen when the technique is utilized Minato gained the title of 'Konoha's Yellow Flash'. It is rumored that Minato can also deploy the seal needed for location simply by touching an area or enemy thus allowing him to go anywhere his opponent may hope to run to or hide. As an S-rank technique it is unknown what consequences the technique may have other than great control and a large amount of chakra. It should be noted that some of the elder members of Clan Shugorei have developed an intense dislike for Namikaze Minato due to his improvement of the Shunpo without their approval.


	3. Chapter 2: Revealing The Old and New

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 2 – Revealing The Old And New**_

* * *

It was a good day so far, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and it seemed that all of the children were behaving themselves for once. Being a weekend with no school or academy classes all the children were running about enjoying their time of freedom from the regimented lifestyle that was demanded of them during the rest of the week. 

The matron of the Konoha Orphanage couldn't help but let a smile play across her face. As she watched many of the young children playing games in the back courtyard she couldn't help but think back to her own youth and the games she had played with her friends all those many years ago. Yet as she recalled those days she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness as many of those same friends had been lost over the years.

Her small group had been like many others; they had idolized the great shinobi figures of the village and as such had exuberantly enrolled at the Konoha Ninja Academy. They had gone to classes together and learned the skills required to join the shinobi forces they had so naively idolized. She remembered the joy that they had all felt when they had become genin even though none of them truly realized the dangerous world that they had now entered.

The matron continued to look out at the young orphans knowing that many were hoping to follow the same dream she had possessed all those years ago. She couldn't help but sadly wonder at how many would suffer the same as she did after becoming a Konoha shinobi.

She recalled how after only being a genin for two months she attended the funeral for her best friend. He had been killed on a D-rank mission that was supposed to be a simple delivery, yet the small task had turned into a massacre as his team was ambushed by bandits and low level missing-nins. His jounin sensei had been overwhelmed leaving the young genin to fend for their selves, only one genin made it away from the attack, but she died of her wounds only a few days later.

Only two years later she became a chunin at fourteen yet she had lost several more friends due to missions and the same tests that had conferred her new rank upon her. Some of those friends were not dead, but suffered a worst fate as they were broken both by physical and psychological wounds.

At the age of sixteen she had considered herself lucky as she and three others from her childhood were still among the ranks of the Konoha ninja. They had survived the dangers that came with their chosen profession. However, the luck that had kept her safe and allowed her to advance turned as only a year later she herself fell to the wayside and left the ranks of the shinobi.

She had been on a routine patrol when her group was ambushed. They had driven off the enemy but she had been grievously wounded. Though the wounds healed physically she was left mentally broken as her wounds had left her barren and unable to conceive children of her own. The only thing that had saved her from her depression was the day when she had drunkenly stumbled across the Konoha Orphanage.

It was here that she found new purpose in the little children that had been lost their parents or simply been abandoned. The part of her that desired a child to love found in these innocents a counterpart as almost all of the kids desired someone to love and look after them. At first she had considered adoption, but her heart broke when she walked through the halls and saw the eyes of every child fall upon her with the hope that they would be the lucky one to go home with her. It was those eyes that made her decide to resign her shinobi status and become a worker at the orphanage.

Over the years she had moved up the ladder of authority and responsibility to become the head of the orphanage. Whenever she thought about that rise she could only justify it by the work she had done to make every child that came to the orphanage, no matter how old or how long they resided there, feel as if they had a home and family that loved them, even if that home and family was only her, the other workers, and the children living under the same conditions.

The laughter of the children in the yard broke her from her thoughts and she once again felt happy as she banished the dower thoughts that had caused her despair. These children, she promised, would grow strong and would always feel loved so long as she lived.

Turning away from the window that she had been looking out of and moving towards her desk, she suddenly stopped. The cold tendril of fear ran through her mind and she turned back to the window in the hopes that she would be proven wrong. Quickly scanning the children she did a head count as she hoped to see a bright mop of sun-kissed, blond hair.

Naruto was a wonderful child, full of love and energy; unfortunately he had an innate curiosity that far exceeded any she had ever seen previously in other children. He routinely would disappear to explore and find new things that his young mind found intriguing. Sometimes these adventures were limited to crawling throughout the nooks and crannies of the orphanage, yet all too often the young boy was finding ways to circumvent the wall that separated the set of yards surrounding the orphanage and protecting the young charges within from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding village.

Seeing him not out in the back courtyard the matron quickly exited her office and began ordering a few of the other workers to begin searching the rest of the orphanage, both inside and out. He could be in one of the rooms playing or taking a nap or he could be in one of the other yards that surround the orphanage.

Feeling fear well up inside of her the matron began to use breathing exercises that she had been taught when she was still a kunoichi to calm herself. Some of her subordinates did not like Naruto but all of them knew that the matron would not allow them to act in any way that would potentially harm a child. She had fired a few workers, one of whom had been there for a few decades, because they had actively worked to harm Naruto and put him in situations where elements in the village could try to do the poor boy harm. As such the remaining workers were careful to not allow their personal feelings to color their judgment and ability to care for the children that were their responsibility, the threat of also taking a trip to the Torture and Interrogation division courtesy of the Sandaime also helped.

Noticing that many of the workers were returning and reporting that Naruto was nowhere to be found, the matron felt her fear begin to deepen. She had not been told fully what had happened when Naruto was placed in the hospital only days before the festival this year, but she had clearly understood from the tone and words used by the Sandaime that Naruto had been in great danger and had to be kept under a closer watch. The night of the festival, when a small mob had attacked the orphanage in the hopes of finding the boy, many of the fears that she hadn't known since her days as a kunoichi came back in full force. It had only been the subsequent arrival of the Sandaime with a group of ANBU that had saved her, the two chunin placed at the orphanage by his order to act as guards, and Naruto himself from the violent mob. Right now she began to worry that Naruto could have gotten into a similar predicament as before.

Hearing all of her subordinates reporting a negative on Naruto's whereabouts caused the matron's fears to deepen. Turning to look at one of her most trusted workers and friends she began to address the younger woman.

"Go to the Hokage tower and tell the Sandaime that we have a 'Priority Six' incident," she urgently began. "If he isn't there tell one of the ANBU guards, they will know what to do."

Watching the young woman turn and race out of the orphanage the matron turned to regard the other workers.

"I want the rest of you to gather the other children up and start an exact head count to make sure none of the other children decided to tag along with him," the matron ordered knowing that a few times in the past Naruto had enlisted the aid of a few other children in his explorations, as well as following some of the children when they went on their own adventures. "After that a few of you will remain with them while the rest of us scour the building and the surrounding area, if we are lucky Naruto is nearby and simply napping."

Seeing her workers moving quickly to fulfill their duties the matron began to move about the orphanage beginning her own search. Deep down she prayed that what she just said to her people was right and Naruto was fine, but she couldn't let go of the nagging feeling that the foxy little boy was somehow in over his head somewhere once again.

* * *

Getting back to his office with his guest the Hokage nodded to his chunin secretary before moving over to one of the ANBU guards and whispering something that Jinjiro couldn't here. 

Without a word the black ops member disappeared in a small poof of smoke to do what ever the Sandaime had ordered.

Moving fully into the office before locking and sealing the door so not a sound would escape the room, the Hokage moved to sit behind his desk while Jinjiro grabbed one of the large comfortable chairs by the wall and moved it over to sit directly in front of the desk. Clearing a space on the desk, as it had a few moderate sized stacks of forms and other paperwork that required the personal review of the Hokage, the Sandaime began to running through a few hand seals before slapping a hand down onto the cleared space and having a small circle of seals form on and around it.

An audible pop was heard as a small cloud of smoke appeared over the area, a clear sign of a Kuchiyose no Jutsu. As the smoke began to clear away a medium wooden chest bound with black wrought-iron braces was seen instead of the summoned animal that one would normally associate with such a technique.

Barely glancing at the chest Shugorei Jinjiro, de facto head of Clan Shugorei and exile of Konoha, decided to break the silence that consumed the room, "I have tried to keep abreast of the happenings in Konoha since my departure into exile, it seems things have been quite interesting for you the last few years Sarutobi."

Glancing up from where he was meticulously undoing a set of sealed locks on the front of the chest the Hokage regarded his guest before answering guardedly, "Yes, things have been 'interesting' as you so aptly put it, so much so that I have started cursing Minato regularly for leaving me to do this job once again."

"Ha!" came the thunderous laugh of an amused Jinjiro. "So now you finally start to see why I never approved of the boy, eh? That blonde was too brilliant and courageous for his own good most of the damned time, always said it would get him killed."

"That is hardly the point of the matter and you know it," retorted the Hokage in an annoyed tone as the laugh had disrupted the correct sequence of unsealing that was required to open the chest, now he had to start over.

"Yeah, yeah," Jinjiro responded while waving the annoyance of the Hokage off as if it were merely a buzzing insect. "Anyways, I heard you and the Hyuuga had a little trouble just a few years ago with Kumo."

That last remark caused the Hokage to stop what he was doing in an instant. Glaring heavily at the smug looking Shugorei he inquired, "And what exactly did you hear pray tell?"

Seeing that he had gotten a reaction to that little tidbit the old warrior responded candidly, "Oh you know, something about the Hyuuga heir almost being kidnapped by a Kumo-nin enjoying diplomatic immunity due to a peace conference. That and how said Kumo-nin wound up dead with Konoha sending the body of a certain twin as recompense."

The Hokage narrowed his gaze further knowing that the information that Jinjiro had just given was far too detailed to his liking, the attempt by Kumo and the death of Hyuuga Hizashi in place of Hiashi had been made an S-rank secret with very few outside of the Hyuuga and the ANBU knowing. The fact that the Shugorei exile had been away from Konoha for nearly seven years made the Sandaime immediately suspect a leak somewhere, but whether it was a general leak or simply one directed to the exiled nin was the real question.

"Would you be so kind as to tell me where you got your information?" Sarutobi asked in a tone that clearly said that this was not a polite request.

"Information is power, remember?" the Shugorei warrior quipped. "I will tell you that you don't need to worry about that information getting into the wrong hands though. I personally saw to that."

What Jinjiro had implied only raised a host of new questions in the elderly Hokage's mind. While he would accept that the man had indeed dealt with the potential leak it did not stop him from making a mental note that he would have to order a 'rat hunt' soon.

Seeing the Hokage clearly disturbed by that little bit of information Jinjiro decided to let a few more bombs drop, "After that incident a few of your ANBU captains resigned in disgrace and you have, only recently, found suitable replacements. Yes, definitely suitable replacements if you ask me."

Once again the Hokage felt cold sweat form on the back of his neck due to what the man sitting across from him had revealed. The identity of ANBU members was supposed to be one of the best kept secrets of the village. From time to time a member would be identified, but the identities of captains were only discovered when the village wanted to send a statement or there was a major screw up. This time he couldn't let the Shugorei get away with a vague answer.

Before the Sandaime could ask Jinjiro continued his earlier remark, "For Torture and Interrogation you have one Morino Ibiki, slightly sadistic in his methods, but the man gets results and that's what counts. That young pup, Hatake Kakashi, took over Assassination and Sabotage, does good work but really needs to learn to let go of the past. Ole' Usohakkenki Takara is still in charge of Counterintelligence and Clandestine Affairs. I hear she recently celebrated the birth of her first grandchild, hopefully she will remember not to lace the cookies she bakes him with those fast-acting poisons she so loves, I should really remember to send her a card of congratulations. Nekoirazu Kenshin, the little rat of a man that he is, just rolled up those spies from Kiri that you have been having difficulties with; good choice in abilities but the man really needs to work on his personal hygiene. Finally we have your newest captain, appointed only three months ago if I'm correct, young Uchiha Itachi in charge of the Main Battle Unit; that can't be playing well with the rest of his clan."

The subsequent listing of the ANBU captains made Sarutobi's cold sweat from before chill his blood. Jinjiro had just recited information that no one that had been gone from Konoha for as long as he had should have known. Other than Takara, none of the others had even been part of the ANBU when the man had left seven years ago. The fact that he had placed each captain correctly with his or her division and then remarked on a few small qualities and tidbits of information was disturbing at the very least.

"How the hell did you get that information!" the old Hokage demanded rising from behind his desk furiously. "No bullshit Jinjiro, I will not have you endangering them with your capricious vagueness. You will tell me now or you will not leave this office alive."

The anger and coldness of the Hokage's voice immediately told Jinjiro he had not only danced over the line with that last bit, but that he had just gone and blown the line to hell and back. This was definitely not the time for anything but the unequivocal truth.

"I learned it all from your young ANBU members stationed at the gate," the old Shugorei stated calmly while tapping his walking stick against the floor. "You seem to forget that the Kyogi no Tama doesn't just allow me to put ideas into a person's head, but also to take information out. Unless you want to make the division leaders unknown even to their own subordinates there is no way you could have prevented me from garnering those little kernels of info."

Slumping back into his chair the Hokage stared at the slightly amused Shugorei while stating, "Damn, should've remembered that. Here I am worried of a massive security breach and you're just playing with me like you used to."

"Starting to go senile eh 'Professor'?" joked the bemused Shugorei. While what he had said was true, for the most part, that didn't mean he lacked other intelligence sources within Konoha, but there was no reason to tip his hand at this point of the game.

"That's an interesting chest you have sitting there, going to do a magic trick for me or is it just for show?" Jinjiro remarked flippantly so as to throw the other man off before he could question the answer he had been presented.

"Oh yes," the Hokage said a little surprised as he focused back upon the object sitting prominently on his desk and let his previous thoughts slip to the back of his mind. "I have kept some documents regarding the Shugorei in here so that they aren't inadvertently filed away in the archive."

Bringing his full attention to bear upon the chest Jinjiro watched attentively as the Hokage began to undo the complicated seals that kept the box locked tight. His curiosity was somewhat peaked as he knew that none of the scrolls outlining the Shugorei secrets had been disturbed and were still well protected, so whatever was within was something new to him.

Opening the chest the old Hokage began to pull out a few scrolls that ranged in size, thickness, and colored markings. Looking to his guest Sarutobi began to speak, "You asked before why I had called you back here to Konoha. The reason is quite simple and I wish you had decided to return earlier as we could already have…."

"I already know why you have called me back so don't try and dolly it up with your sentiments and flowery language," Jinjiro interrupted harshly as he stared down a stunned Hokage, his curiosity at what the scrolls implied gone in an instant.

"Well then," a shocked Sarutobi began to reply. "Then I guess I can count upon your cooperation and will begin to immediately draw up the necessary papers to…."

"No," Jinjiro once again interrupted in a harsh manner. "My answer is no."

"But you can't just…," the astounded Hokage began to protest before being cutoff once again.

"I can and I will," the old Shugorei member responded solemnly before fitting the Sandaime with a furious gaze. "I am the last of my clan and if you think for an instant that I will open our secrets up to the rest of Konoha then you are sadly mistaken."

The old Sarutobi took on a look of confusion at Jinjiro's words and began to speak when he was once again stopped by the resolute voice of the seated Shugorei member.

"I will not reveal our secrets for general use and I will not recreate the clan," an indignant Jinjiro spat out. "I am too old and I love Kagome too much to sire a new family…I will not use the Dentatsutokusei no Tama to do so either!"

Sensing the anger rising from the irate Shugorei the Sandaime put his hands up in a placating gesture in the hopes that the man would calm down, however this did not seem to occur as the gesture seemed to only incite the already angry man further.

"I already had low opinion about you and most of Konoha, but I can't believe that you would actually dare to invite me back just so that you could ask such things of me!" Jinjiro began to shout furiously. "I had hoped you would respect the dead and the living a bit more, but it seems that I have gravely misjudged you and your ability to become even more self-serving!"

At this point Jinjiro had risen from his chair, actually knocking it over in the process with a large 'thump', and had slammed his hands down upon the desk before him in such a violent manner that the stacks of paperwork threatened to collapse and scatter destroying the order that they had been set in. His yelling was so loud that Sarutobi worried that the seal he had used to make sure no sound escaped the room would fail under the abusive tirade. He even worried a little that the man would actually attack him which would cause more trouble than it was worth as well as destroy a good portion of the Hokage Tower.

Seeing Jinjiro fuming before him the Sandaime decided that the only way to calm the irate man was to be as stern and strong as possible considering the Shugorei tradition of respecting strength. Clearing his throat with a large grunt the Hokage rose to stand before the slightly taller Shugorei and confront him.

Looking the angry man square in the eye, which was difficult as the smoky gaze bespoke of pain, anguish, hatred, and loss, the aging Sandaime began to speak in a firm and unyielding tone, "I do not know where you got such ideas in your head Jinjiro, but I have called you back for no such reason. I will not lie, the idea of you siring a new clan either through natural means or the Shugorei's vaunted Soul Transfer ceremony has been argued at length by the council. However, I and many others who feel we owe you and your clan more than that have been able to defeat that notion, so sit down and actually listen to me for once in your life!"

The force of the Hokage's own anger came boiling to the surface as the old man had had enough today in dealing with the council, his own son and family, and now an angry, misinformed old man that wanted little more than an excuse to try and do something that would get them both killed. The raw, seething emotion struck both of the men in the room and held them in silence as they locked together in a battle of wills conveyed by their angry stares.

Looking the Hokage in the eye Jinjiro broke the hard silence with, "I see you kept that hole I knocked in the wall last time and went ahead and made it a window."

Hearing the slight humor in the other man's voice the Sandaime began to chuckle slightly responding with, "Yes, I thought it really opened up the room."

This response caused the standing Shugorei to join in with a roaring laugh and both men began to let the tension dissipate as the humor of their words and situation took them back to before Jinjiro had gone off to avenge his fallen grandson. Both men retook their seats, though Jinjiro had to wrestle the large, overstuffed chair back onto its feet.

Feeling the tense situation had passed and they were both calm enough to carry on a civilized conversation the Sandaime began, "I didn't call you back for such purposes and I am shamed that you would think me so shallow as to do such a thing."

"Please forgive me," the old Shugorei sincerely apologized. "I assumed that as the last member of my clan that such would be the only reasons why you would recall me from exile."

"It is a small thing," the old Hokage said accepting the apology. Catching the elder man's eye Sarutobi sighed before continuing; knowing that what he would be revealing would probably ignite the fury of the old man to a similar peak as before.

"The reason I have been trying to track you down and get you to return over the last five years does have to do with the continuity of the Shugorei," the Hokage began while bracing himself for another outburst, yet was surprised upon seeing that Jinjiro was sitting in a contemplative manner waiting for him to continue. "You said you are the last of your clan, but that is not entirely true as…."

"That person is not Shugorei," Jinjiro interrupted coldly. "You should know better than anyone that that individual was banished from the clan. All of the abilities that were part of the Shugorei line were sealed when the name was revoked from the registry and cast asunder. Those abilities can now only be regained if the Shugorei Lord was to reinstate that person to the registry and that shall never occur as I will never allow it."

That statement caused Sarutobi to pause as he recalled an interesting bit of information about Clan Shugorei. Unlike other clans that were constantly in fear of losing their advanced bloodline limit, the Shugorei never had to worry as their so called 'Soul Limit' worked far differently and gave them an advantage in maintaining their rigid clan secrecy.

Sarutobi wasn't completely sure how the ability was passed or awakened, as both were closely guarded clan secrets, but he did know a few details.

The first was that the ability could be transferred through a ceremony called the Dentatsutokusei no Tama to inductees into the clan that were not of the Shugorei bloodline. This detail allowed the Shugorei to enlarge their ranks through volunteers and captured warriors if the clan decided those individuals exemplified virtues and skills that were valued by the clan.

The second detail was that the Shugorei abilities could be sealed off if a member tried to become a missing-nin or were exiled. This allowed the Shugorei to maintain a strict code of loyalty to the clan without having to use such drastic measures as the Hyuuga.

The registry was a list of all the Shugorei members' names written in their own blood. When they are alive their names would appear to be a bright red in color within the registry. If a member was to die that member's name turned black. However, if a member did something that warranted the loss of the Shugorei abilities a special seal was placed upon the member's name in the registry and that member would lose all access to their Shugorei abilities. It had only been used a few times and was seen as the ultimate punishment by the Shugorei as it carried with it untold shame and degradation to those who were seen as betraying the clan. Supposedly it wasn't one of the enigmatic clan's original traditions but had been created later after the clan had experienced an internal conflict, but those were only rumors and not a single member of the clan would ever speak of how and why the registry had been created or actually worked.

As for the secretive Soul Transfer ceremony only a few recorded cases existed within the clan's history since it had become part of Konohagakure and the details of those ceremonies were closely guarded secrets. Only a few outsiders had ever seen the ceremony and all had been sworn to the utmost secrecy afterwards. One of the few things that could be confirmed was that somehow the ceremony allowed an inducted member to gain the abilities that gave Clan Shugorei its massive strength. To be completely truthful a ceremony hadn't occurred in Konoha since Uzumaki Hyo had been inducted and all those who had been witness to it were now dead except Shugorei Jinjiro who would never tell of the ceremonial details to any outsider.

Breaking from his thoughts on what Jinjiro had implied the old Hokage cleared his throat again to get the other man's attention.

"I was not referring to that matter and you would have known that if you didn't have that nasty habit of constantly interrupting me," Sarutobi humorously chastised the seated Shugorei member. "However, to make sure you don't interrupt again I will start from the beginning."

Looking Jinjiro in the eye the Sandaime picked up a rather fat scroll with blue markings and began to hand it to the Shugorei.

"That scroll contains the accounts of what happened five years ago on the night the Kyuubi no Youko attacked Konoha and the actions your clan took," the Hokage began sadly. "I have corroborated all of the details with reports of the surviving eyewitnesses and believe that it portrays as accurate a picture of the role the Shugorei played as can be hoped for. A number of them, at least in the eyes of myself and others, have earned places within your clan history."

Jinjiro slowly reached his hand out for the scroll and seemed to reverently hold it considering it told how his clan had faired against the great bijuu.

"The individuals are cross-referenced with the event so you can see what each member of your clan did in as great of detail as I was able to uncover," the Hokage sullenly stated. "I will have you know that Tesshin lead them with greater finesse and control than I have ever seen and it was only through their actions that the Yondaime was able to prepare so as to defeat the Kitsune."

Jinjiro seemed to have slight tears in his eyes as he opened the scroll. Whether it was from a sense of mourning of his lost clan or if it was because of a sense of guilt that he was not there when the rest of the Shugorei made their last stand Sarutobi would never know.

"Tesshin first lead the majority of your clan's warriors out to meet the beast before it could enter the village," Sandaime began to explain. "Regrettably they and the other shinobi of Konoha were unable to stop it and the Kyuubi broke through the wall near the Shugorei compound."

Jinjiro felt his mind stir as he recalled the ruins he had visited before he had made his way to the graveyard. He had noted that the beautiful gardens were no more and only a small part of the main building was still intact. Yet the most important structure of the compound was still intact and remained undiscovered and protected by the special protective elements that had been sealed and installed.

"I saw the remains of the compound and you have my thanks for setting up the warding around it to keep out interlopers," Jinjiro responded though his reference to wards was to the ones that had been set upon the remains of the compound and not the ones that protected the hidden structure of the clan which contained many of their secrets.

Sarutobi nodded in acknowledgement before continuing in a sad tone, "Unfortunately all of the civilians and servants of the Shugorei were killed within the compound when the Kyuubi breached the wall. We have never been able to determine why they were still their even though that entire area had been evacuated of all nonessential personnel."

Jinjiro said nothing in response knowing that the civilians and servants had remained to secure the secrets of the clan and had not taken shelter with them because the worry would have been too great that when a search and rescue team came through those secrets could be discovered with the sheltering survivors. His thoughts turned briefly to the question of servants though as only those most loyal were quartered in the compound and even fewer would have been required to help secure the hidden structure before the compound was attacked.

"Are you sure all of the servants died there?" Jinjiro questioned the Hokage with a quirked eyebrow.

The Sandaime seemed to ponder that question for a moment before answering, "Actually a few did survive but they were not quartered in the compound but on the other side of Konoha. Most of them have either moved away or died since then. I think only one family still exists in Konoha that used to be under contract with the Shugorei."

Jinjiro smiled slightly at that before inquiring, "Which family is that exactly?"

"I believe it was Oda's family, though he passed away a year before the Kyuubi attacked," The Hokage answered. "His wife and children as well as his grandchildren live near the market district now. You aren't going to do anything to them that I need to be worried about are you?"

Hearing the accusatory tone and slight warning Jinjiro simply smiled before responding, "No I was just curious and it makes me glad that Oda's family survived as they were always loyal and could be trusted no matter what."

That wasn't the whole truth, but Jinjiro didn't feel like discussing the matter further as it could be easily filed away to be dealt with later.

Sarutobi was uneasy now about what Jinjiro had asked and resolved to put a few ANBU guards around the family incase Jinjiro tried something stupid in the name of Shugorei honor.

Grunting the Hokage began to continue his explanation of the night of the Kyuubi attack, "After the compound was attacked Tesshin used the full power of his Bankai to hold the Fox back while the rest of the Shugorei warriors and Konoha shinobi regrouped. He actually is one of only a handful of shinobi that can be attributed with injuring the beast, though he died shortly after when the demon turned its full wrath and fury upon him."

Shugorei Jinjiro's mind called up what his grandson would have looked like upon the battlefield with his Bankai at full power. He could hear the clank and groan of metal as he pictured the giant iron and steel golem that was Tesshin's Bankai. Tesshin would have been perched upon its head directing the creature's immense spiked fists to beat upon the Kyuubi with a savage ferocity. He smiled sullenly as he remembered the first time he had seen his eldest grandson achieve the ability when they were training together and how he had been so proud of the young man to actually reach the level of a Shugorei elite.

"The rest of the Shugorei rallied and held the Kyuubi off in order to buy the time that Minato needed to finally defeat it," Sarutobi said quietly. "They fought to the last and saved countless lives in the process, they all have a special place upon the memorial stone for that."

The Hokage looked to Jinjiro as he finished speaking to find the elder man unrolling the scroll further searching for something or someone before looking up at the face of the Sandaime.

"What of Kushina…how did she…," Jinjiro trailed off as grief he had thought gone resurfaced.

Reaching for a smaller scroll outlined with red the Hokage began to answer, "Kushina played a greater role in helping to defeat the Kyuubi no Youko than any other…."

"Yet she isn't listed in the scroll you have presented me," the old Shugorei clansman stated in a tone that showed a mixture of sorrow, anger, and confusion. "Why would she not be listed if she played such an important role?"

Looking the elder man in the eye the Hokage began to explain as he indicated the scroll now in his hand.

"Within this scroll are the details of what Kushina and Minato did that night to defeat the Kyuubi," Sarutobi answered in a voice that spoke of regret. "You may not have known this but at the time of the attack Kushina was eight and a half months pregnant."

Seeing Jinjiro's eyes begin to widen as if a major puzzle piece had just been uncovered the old Hokage quickly continued before the other man could interject.

"Kushina used her chakra to force the premature birth of her and Minato's son," the aging Sandaime spoke tiredly. "She then used her remaining strength to help Minato finish the seal that was to be used to defeat the Kyuubi. If she hadn't forced the birth Minato would not have been able to find another vessel that could have contained the demon, yet by doing so she put her body under too much strain. With all of the medics and doctors out tending to the wounded there was nothing anyone could do for her…."

Hearing the Sandaime trail off Jinjiro felt a tear roll down his cheek He knew his little Kushina-hime had made a necessary sacrifice and in doing so died in a way that the Shugorei would still consider glorious. She had given everything to strike at her enemy and defeat it even though it was in essence a pyrrhic victory.

The Hokage paused as he allowed Jinjiro a moment to digest what had been said before continuing, "Minato came to me after Kushina died and told me what he had planned. He and Kushina had worked out a way to use the power of the Shinigami to enforce a seal that would bind the Kyuubi to their child while still keeping the demon separate. The seal was designed to wear the Kyuubi down by allowing its chakra to be converted to the boy's own and in time making it so that when the boy passes into the next world he will take the Fox with him."

The aging Sandaime suddenly felt worried when Jinjiro's head snapped up and his gaze seemed to focus upon nothing that could be seen. He was about to ask the Shugorei man what was the matter when Jinjiro broke the silence.

"That bastard finally did something I can respect," the old Shugorei clansman began to chuckle before letting his voice take on a steely tone once again. "He realized what it is we Shugorei mean by duty and honor when he decided to sacrifice himself to defeat his opponent. However, for what he did to his own child I will never forgive him."

Glaring at the Hokage and taking the scroll outlining what had been done to ensure the defeat of the Kyuubi no Youko, Jinjiro inquired, "And what of the boy? Where is he? What is his name? I must be allowed to see him."

That last part was more a demand than a statement to Sarutobi's mind as he began to unroll one of the smaller scrolls he had taken from the chest on his desk.

Jinjiro stood quickly to look at the scroll as it was unfurled before him. He immediately saw a picture and realized it had to be the child. Picking up the photo he began to examine it.

The boy had the same spikey blond hair and sparkling ocean blue eyes that Minato possessed. However, the shape of the eyes spoke more to Kushina and the way the boy had a wide, toothy smile also pointed to his mother's heritage. Three whisker-like marks were noticeable on both of his cheeks and spoke of the confinement of the Kyuubi as the marks were somewhat fox-like. He noted that the boy was small yet seemed to be happy as he was in what appeared to be a park when the photograph was taken.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto," the Sandaime stated proudly as his voice cut through the myriad amount of thoughts that seemed to rush through Jinjiro's head.

"Uzumaki?" Jinjiro questioned as he looked up from the clutched photograph.

"Yes, Minato and Kushina chose the name Naruto if the child turned out to be a boy," the old Hokage began to explain. "However, I gave him the family name Uzumaki as few knew Hyo's family name."

"I understand," the old Shugorei stated knowingly. "Minato had many enemies so stating that he had a son would be incredibly foolish and since the Shugorei are almost extinct there would have been no one to protect him from our own enemies. Hyo's name was a good choice as not only are all those who knew it, other that you and I, dead, but no one could come looking to claim the boy as family from Hyo's side as he was an orphan and Uzumaki was a name he made up."

Looking the Hokage in the eye with a slight smirk Jinjiro added, "Your plan was brilliant you crafty old monkey."

Taking the crack at his name in stride Sarutobi began to speak, "Yes it was a stroke of genius on my part, but it hasn't protected the boy as much as I had hoped."

Seeing Jinjiro's face sober up quickly as the joy was replaced with an unreadable mask that promised swift retribution the Sandaime reluctantly explained.

"After the sealing I moved to conceal the event as best I could," he began. "I used the emergency war powers to circumvent the council and declare the whole incident surrounding Naruto an S-rank secret. However, the information that Naruto is the vessel for the Kyuubi leaked as there were far too many witnesses at the end of the battle and others were able to put things together for themselves. I have tried to rectify this by telling them that Minato wanted us to view the boy as the true hero of the night, but alas not everyone has done so."

Seeing the Shugorei beginning to climb into a rage the aging Hokage quickly continued before the man flew off the handle and began to demand answers.

"I have been able to keep Naruto's lineage a secret and that has helped as many of those who have allied with me have done so because they do not wish the boy harmed and see him as a person instead of the demon," Sarutobi explained. "Even though revealing Naruto's lineage would gain me a few more allies it would make even more enemies and I wouldn't have to just contend with attacks from those within Konoha but also those from without."

Seeing the Shugorei elder nod in agreement to that wisdom the Sandaime continued, "I placed Naruto in the Konoha Orphanage to protect his anonymity and to give him a chance to grow up with other children if I couldn't find you, but there still have been several incidents where Naruto has been attacked by those seeking to end the Kyuubi the most recent of which…."

The Hokage was interrupted as a loud pounding was heard at the door and a voice filtered through the sound barrier stating that the Hokage was needed at once. Rising from his desk he moved to see what the disturbance was.

While the Sandaime opened the door Shugorei Jinjiro was lost in his own thoughts as he recalled the matron who ran the orphanage before he left several years ago. She was a kind woman and had been a decent kunoichi before she resigned. Sarutobi wouldn't have placed Naruto in the orphanage if she had been replaced with someone worse and it was almost assured that she would take care of Naruto, if she was still there, as she felt an innate need to protect all children no matter what.

Believing that Naruto was fine under the care of the matron Jinjiro allowed his thoughts to turn to those who would attempt to hurt the boy. His thoughts turned dark as he vowed that those individuals would pay dearly once he found them. He also thought of how he would need to begin Naruto's training as soon as possible so the boy would be safe when not being actively watched and guarded.

The sound of urgent voices broke Jinjiro's thoughts as he turned his head to regard whomever it was talking with the Hokage. From what he could see while glancing over his shoulder there were two individuals quickly relating matters to the Hokage. One was a young woman wearing bright colored clothes that were decorated in a manner that would be found pleasing to children while the other was the same ANBU guard that the Hokage had whispered to before they had entered the office.

Suddenly feeling a sense of dread creep into the pit of his stomach the old Shugorei warrior tuned his hearing in so to make out the words being quickly related to the Hokage. He wasn't able to get much as both the woman and the ANBU operative were speaking not only very quickly but also in a hushed tone, damn how he hated getting old. He did pick up several things such as priority, incident, missing, danger, and finally Naruto. That last one nearly stopped his heart as he realized that something must have happened and his first and only great-grandchild seemed to be in trouble.

Sarutobi was quickly receiving the information from both the female worker the matron had sent and the ANBU guard. He had sent the guard to alert the matron that he would be coming to see Naruto and would be bringing Jinjiro. Instead he was now being told how the young blond was missing. What was worse was that the ANBU member was relating how he had begun alerting the other ANBU members currently operating in the village and they were already receiving reports of several groups having formed to find the boy.

Unfortunately these groups wanted to harm the boy and were hampering the ANBU members who were searching for the boy. Already the black ops members had been engaged in violence and currently several civilians and low ranked shinobi were either in custody or dead. The ANBU were not playing around and were following the standing orders that Sarutobi had issued regarding Naruto. Simply put any and all means were at their disposal to find and protect Naruto, the Hokage would deal with the fallout later.

Turning quickly to get Jinjiro and inform him of the situation so that they could both join the search the man known as 'The Professor' found that the current de facto Shugorei Lord was no longer present in the office. Realizing what this meant only one thought went through the elderly Sandaime's head, _"OH SHIT!"_

* * *

Currently one Uzumaki Naruto was not a happy five year old. He had had his exploration adventure ruined when he got too close to what he thought was the park the old man with the triangle hat had taken him before, the adults there with the children had yelled at him and one or two had thrown rocks. He had ran throughout Konoha scared for his life not understanding why people were giving him such cold looks and why many of them had started after him yelling and throwing more things. He had gotten hit by a couple of rocks and a large bottle that cut his forehead right before he had tumbled down an old drainage pipe. And now he was lost in a section of the village he had never been to before, which coincidentally was nearly all of the village as he had never been anywhere but the orphanage, the park, the Hokage Tower, the hospital, the ramen shop with the grumpy but nice man, the forest near the orphanage, and finally the small neighborhood that was near the orphanage. 

Grumbling that he would never go exploring without the matron or someone else ever again he crept through the unfamiliar streets. He felt very uncomfortable as many of the people he passed seemed to either ignore him or looked at him with wide open eyes, like some of the kids back at the orphanage did when there was a storm and they became afraid of the thunder and lightning. He had tried asking one of the adults for help getting back home but the lady had screamed when he tugged on her skirt.

He took off when she continued to scream and began pointing at him while other people began to look at the two of them. He knew that when people screamed bad things happened and today those things seemed to involve people chasing after him or throwing things at him.

Ducking into a side street he wondered idly at how much trouble he was in as the matron was probably well aware that he wasn't at the orphanage. Shaking his head he realized he didn't care how she punished him this time so long as he could get back there and see her again. He was starting to get really scared that he would be lost forever like some of the people in the storybooks were.

Taking a moment to look around he saw a large set of trees ahead and began to hope that they were the set of trees that were near the slide at the park. Running down the little street he kept his eyes on the trees and began to turn a corner that would take him closer to them when suddenly he hit something hard and fell backwards onto his rump.

The fall had hurt slightly but he fought down the urge to cry as many of the other orphans teased him when he cried. To his young mind big kids and adults don't cry so if he wanted to be big he had to make sure not to cry too.

"Well, well, well…look what we got here," a voice said breaking little Naruto's thoughts about being a big kid and not crying.

Looking towards where he had heard the voice Naruto found himself looking at three adolescents wearing the forehead protector of a Konoha shinobi. One of them even had on a cool light green vest with little pockets on either breast.

"Where do you think you're going?" the one with the vest asked.

Recognizing the signs that these three were shinobi of the village Naruto felt his fear melt away. The other kids at the orphanage always talked about how the ninjas and kunoichi were so cool and how they were there to protect the village and fight 'bad guys'.

Smiling because he actually was getting to meet real ninja Naruto let out a large exclamation, "Wow you guys are ninjas!"

The three in front of him smiled a bit at that but if Naruto had been older and more experienced he would have noticed that the smiles of the three did not seem genuine and in fact looked downright creepy.

"Yeah kid we're ninja," the one on the left of the ninja wearing the vest said.

"That is so cool!" Naruto shouted as he picked himself up, no longer worried about the problems he had been having. "You can help me right? I mean that is what you guys do other than fighting 'bad guys' right?"

"Why should we…oomph," the one on the right of the vest wearer began before being cut off with a slight elbow to the ribs by said vest wearing ninja.

"Yeah kid we can help you out," the vest wearing ninja said while smirking and looking to his companions.

"Yay!" Naruto yelled with glee before looking back to the ninjas.

Chuckling the vest wearer, who appeared to be the leader of the trio, began to speak, "Well I guess from the look of things you're lost kid and want us to help you get home."

Naruto began to nod his head vigorously as he marveled at how cool the ninja were and how they were so smart that they new what he needed help with.

"Alright then," the leader said with a devious grin. "Let's take you home."

Naruto soon found himself walking in the midst of the trio as they guided him through the streets and into one of the small parks that dotted Konoha. Looking around Naruto thought that they must be getting close thinking that this was the park that he was often taken to by the man with the triangle hat. Turning to look to the ninjas Naruto suddenly felt himself thrown forward onto the ground.

Coughing hard as he had gotten the wind knocked out of him by the force of the push he looked up to see that the three ninja now had a group of other people with them.

Catching his breath and fighting down tears Naruto wheezed out, "What happened? Why did you push me?"

Smirking the leader of the three ninja began to twirl a kunai in his left hand while answering, "We've decided to have some fun and play some games. All these people want to play too so be a good little demon and play with us!"

As the young man shouted the last part he hurled the kunai he had been twirling straight towards Naruto's head.

For Naruto time seemed to slow down to a crawl as his eyes widened as the small blade came hurtling closer and closer. He began to shut his eyes and bring up his arms and hands as nearly everyone does when reflexes kick in when suddenly a loud 'thunk' was heard.

Opening his eyes slightly and looking past his hands he saw a large grey cloak in front of him. He started to worry when he saw the cloak turn to reveal an old man with a funny little beard and smoky grey eyes looking at him. In the hands of the man was a gnarled walking stick with the kunai stuck in it.

Looking at the old man Naruto suddenly felt something tug at his mind. The sensation was calming and he started to feel sleepy like he often did when he tried to stay awake when the matron read him a bedtime story. Shaking his head slightly to try and fight off the feeling he suddenly felt a hand on his head and looked to see the old man kneeling down in front of him smiling calmly and looking him in the eye.

Orbs of pure ocean blue met those of smoky grey steel and Naruto felt the feeling of sleepiness hit him even harder. The last thing he thought he heard was a strong yet quiet voice telling him to sleep.

* * *

Shugorei Jinjiro had seen many things in his life; he had fought countless opponents and waged numerous campaigns and missions. He had seen all sorts of things reflected in the eyes of those he met. However, looking into the pure soul reflected in the eyes of Naruto made him feel something that had only been triggered when he had looked into the eyes of his own children and grandchildren, love and hope. 

Having placed the young boy into a deep sleep thought the mild use of the Kyogi no Tama he turned to regard those who had gathered to not only watch but help in the torturing and possible murdering of his great-grandson. His eyes lost the peacefulness that they had displayed to Naruto and took upon a hardened edge as his gaze bore directly into the young chunin that had thrown the kunai.

Said kunai was currently lodged in his walking stick and he silently reached down to pull the weapon out before tossing it into the ground at the feet of the thrower.

Letting his eyes narrow and his gaze intensify he spoke, "I will only overlook this as the stupidity of youth if you apologize and leave now…."

"Fuck you old man," interrupted one of the members of the gathered crowd. "You ain't nothing but a goddamn demon lover. Like hell we are going to apologize, we're here to make that little bastard pay for what he did."

A chorus of agreement seemed to erupt from the rest of the crowd and the chunin that seemed to be leading the whole thing turned to look at the ninja on his left. Catching the look from his leader the young ninja began to advance towards Jinjiro and the unconscious Naruto.

Not more than three feet away the young man's smirk grew as he pulled back a fist to strike the old man who had dared interrupt their fun. The only problem was that before he could launch that fist he was suddenly cracked in the face by the old man's walking stick and sent back a few feet clutching a now broken and bleeding nose.

Looking to the wounded ninja, who could only be a genin as he seemed to lack any forethought or skill when it came to the situation, Jinjiro let a devil-may-care smile play across his aged features.

"I guess that I can take that as a no eh?" he cheekily asked while quirking on of this white eyebrows and holding his walking stick out. "I was hoping to have some fun, so why don't _we_ play a game now?"

The chunin growled as he and his friends were being made fun of and quickly shoved the genin on his right forward to help the one currently clutching his nose as blood dripped from his hands. Standing next to his wounded comrade the other genin picked the young ninja up by the sleeve before whispering in his ear. Releasing his nose the wounded and fresh genin both began to advance from either side hoping to overwhelm Jinjiro. Once again there was a loud crack, but this time both genin were clutching their faces and reeling back. However, unlike last time the two genin didn't wait for a hint from their boss but pulled kunai from their holsters and began to charge seeking to kill the crazy old man that dared to mess with them.

Jinjiro could only smirk as the ignorant fools charged. Pulling back his stick he concentrated a bit of his chakra and released the Henge that had been covering it just as the two genin closed in to strike.

As the two young ninja brought their kunai down and around to stab viciously into their foe a flash of silver was seen followed closely by a spurt of red and then two high pitched screams.

Flicking his Zanpakuto to clear it of blood Jinjiro looked at the bloody stumps being held in the remaining arm of either genin. He had severed both of their right forearms just below the elbow and the now bodiless limbs lay at his feet still clutching the kunai that had been aimed for him.

Hearing the whimpering of the two genin and looking to their chunin companion he let his gaze grow harsh before speaking, "So this is what you think can beat me, two dead genin?"

"What are you talking about their not…," the chunin began to respond only to be cut off as another flash of silver arced out towards the two genin who were now starting to cry loudly and yell for their parents. He could only stare in horror as those cries died abruptly and the heads that had held those voices suddenly rolled off and onto the ground.

"You calling me a liar?" the Shugorei warrior smirked evilly while letting cold fury play in his voice.

The crowd that had gathered began to break apart as many began to run for their lives. The only problem they found was that they couldn't move more than two or three feet before they suddenly fell to the ground as killing intent washed over them pinning them with its sheer magnitude of anger and hate.

Looking to the young chunin that was still standing but had clearly soiled himself, Jinjiro let his fury be known as he addressed the panicking mob and its cowardly leader.

"I really wish I could stay here and give you each the punishment you deserve, but I have far more important things to do than to indulge in such pleasures," the furious Shugorei said in a bitter, rugged voice. "You really should feel lucky as I am going to be quick about this and you will get to see something scum such as you have little right to witness."

Tossing the sheathe he held in his left hand to the side Jinjiro brought that same hand around to rest below his right upon the hilt of his Zanpakuto. Standing straight at his full height and holding the weapon upright at a perfectly perpendicular to the ground and just before his right shoulder in what most masters of the sword would refer to as a strong guard position Jinjiro allowed his gaze to travel across the people that now cowered before him.

Some were crying while others were begging to be spared. Part of him felt disgust as he thought of how frightened these people could now be when they had seemed so brave only a few moments before when confronting a defenseless boy and what appeared to be a doddery old man. The other part of him felt intense hate as he let his mind drift to what could have befallen Naruto had he not gotten there in time.

Locking eyes with the now blabbering chunin, who seemed to be alternating between begging forgiveness and praying for salvation, Shugorei Jinjiro smirked at the irony of the attempts to invoke a deity to rescue the fools from their own folly. Growling loudly he let his voice ring out, "Yuigadokuson, Tenmei!"

* * *

The Sandaime Hokage was on the other side of Konoha when he felt the slight pulse of chakra that he immediately recognized as belonging to Shugorei Jinjiro. Sensing how the pulse had not died off but stayed at a constant filled him with alarm as it could only mean that the proud Konoha exile had found something that he abhorred. The man known as 'The Professor' did not feel worry for the Shugorei warrior rather he felt it for whomever had dared to get on the man's bad side; he knew quite well what Jinjiro was capable of and most of Konoha's shinobi were completely unprepared for the shear brutality and destruction that the elder shinobi could bring about. In the back of his mind Sarutobi also worried that whatever had set Jinjiro off may mean something dire had befallen Naruto. 

Nodding to the small group of ANBU with him the old Hokage began to race towards where he was feeling Jinjiro's chakra signature. The ANBU members were barely keeping up with him as he poured on the speed in the hope that he would arrive in time to stop Jinjiro from doing something too drastic. As he jumped up to the top off a tall building to continue his run across the rooftops of Konoha he realized he was too late as a brilliant flash of light erupted up ahead and a long, low rumble followed closely behind shaking the building he was standing upon.

Racing to the site only a few moments after the awesome display of power, the group of ANBU lead by the Hokage arrived to see one of the most haunting sights that had ever occurred since the night of the Kyuubi attack fiver years prior.

Before them lay bodies and parts of bodies, two of the corpses were missing their right forearms and heads even though one could easily have guessed that those parts were the ones laying only a foot or so away. The rest of the field was a much larger mess.

The grass was charred and the earth under it was burned black as small smoldering coals still held a faint orangey-red glow. Some of the bodies, or rather what was left, looked as if the rest that normally would have been there had been incinerated and blown away as ash. Others looked like they had been flashed cooked as the remaining skin was blistered and cracked with an angry red color, some of the remains looked like they had burst apart like sausages when overcooked and the pressure inside became to much as the steam was explosively released. However, the strangest sight by far were the remains of a chunin still standing upright.

The Hokage recognized the young man as having only just earned the rank at the last exam. The young chunin stood perfectly straight, his face showing a mixture of surprise, confusion, and fear as his mouth hung open and his eyes threatened to pop out of their sockets. He looked completely fine, as if he were in a daze and simply waiting for someone to tap him on the shoulder and wake him from a daydream. The only thing that marked him as no longer being among the living was the thin line that bisected him from the crown of his head down to his groin.

That one little line would be the only wound upon the adolescent, the Sandaime was sure of it. Even though he could not see it he knew instinctively that the line went clear through the boy cleaving him symmetrically in two. The wound and the area on either side of it where blood and organs once worked to keep the young ninja alive would be perfectly cauterized and nothing would fall loose until the body was disturbed. This was evidenced by the perfect rigidity that held the shinobi upright and the lack of blood on the ground or dripping from the fatal blow.

Tearing his gaze away from the massacre he felt the anxiety of the ANBU operatives that had accompanied him as they all realized that the man who had done this was still standing only a few feet away with a small blond child sleeping just behind him.

Shugorei Jinjiro held himself with a degree of strength that set even the man that had been called 'the god of shinobi' on edge. The older man's grey cloak was pulled back fully revealing the black kimono and white obi underneath that hid a body that was not frail and sickly like those of many other elderly individuals. No, the body under those clothes was still bound with muscle of steel even though the mass had decreased with age and he was now considered wiry instead of bulky. However, what caught and held the attention of all the ANBU members was the sword that rested easily in his right hand.

The Hokage easily recognized the weapon as he had seen it upon the field of combat many a time. The weapon looked like what was often described as a hand-and-a-half or bastard sword. The hilt was wrapped in a bluish-grey leather and was long enough to be gripped with both hands to deliver heavy blows yet balanced enough that the blade could be wielded with a single hand for quicker moves that required a greater degree of finesse. The pommel was a golden claw with three talons clutching a light blue crystal. Moving towards the blade one would see a guard made of golden flames the spread out to either side of the blade giving the weapon a strange cruciform shape. The actual blade itself was a marvel to behold as it was thick, straight, and double-edged leading to a distinctive triangular point, yet one could barely make out the fuller running the length of the blade as a faint silvery glow seemed to pulse about the whole of the weapon.

While many of the ANBU in his group marveled at the seemingly impossible sword, many wondering where they could find such a marvelous instrument, the Sandaime knew that the weapon was the Shikai form of the Zanpakuto known as Tenmei and belonged solely to Jinjiro. As a reflection of Jinjiro's own soul and warrior nature the Soul Slayer could only be used by Jinjiro and allowed the man control of light. This ability could be used to illuminate a darkened night when traveling or, as evidenced by the remains before them, used to destroy enemies with a speed and savagery that was unlike any jutsu or weapon that existed within Konoha's vast arsenal. With a name meaning 'God's Will' and a release statement meaning 'holy am I alone', the weapon could turn even the most ardent nonbeliever to prayer and faith in a higher power, mainly because said nonbeliever would be on the receiving end of the weapon and hoping for some sort of intervention that would spare him or her.

Shugorei Jinjiro turned to regard his new observers, but the Hokage recognized that the man was clearly readying himself incase someone was foolish enough to attack him or the young boy protectively behind him. Deciding that enough blood had been spilled, or in this case vaporized, the old Sandaime cleared his throat to gain the attention of those present.

"I see you found Naruto and have dispatched those who, I assume, wished to cause him harm," Sarutobi said while indicating the carnage that littered the field. "I will have the ANBU quarantine the area and begin an immediate clean up and survey to try and identify the criminals."

Recognizing the words as an indication that the measures taken were condoned and that he need not worry about a further threat for the moment Jinjiro called his sheathe towards his left hand using an indiscernible chakra string as Tenmei returned to its sealed form. Sheathing the weapon and tucking it into his sash he nodded slightly to indicate his understanding of the Hokage's words.

Looking the other man in the eye the Shugorei warrior spoke while indicating the child the Hokage and some of the ANBU were looking at with concern, "Naruto is fine as I have put him in a sleep like state so he need not have witnessed the incident."

Picking up the young boy and supporting him, with his left arm acting as a seat, Jinjiro felt the tiny hands unconsciously grasp the fabric of his kimono just above his shoulder. He recognized the sleeping child's action as one that all children do when hefted up to be carried while still trying to remain asleep. It brought a small smile to his wrinkled features as he recalled his own children and grandchildren doing so countless times in the past when they had been young and he was taking them back to their beds for a good night's rest.

Jinjiro broke from those thoughts as the ANBU moved to secure the area and begin cleaning up his mess. Moving to the side of the Hokage he overheard the orders being given to a single ANBU to fetch the matron and bring her to the Hokage's office. Glancing over at the small child that held tightly to him while sleeping, the elder Shugorei nodded slightly to the Hokage as the two men began to walk back to the tower.

* * *

Back at the Hokage's office the two old men waited for the ANBU member to bring the matron of the orphanage. The Sandaime sat and leaned heavily on his desk with his elbows as his hands intertwined their fingers to hide the frown he now wore. Jinjiro had abandoned the chair he had been in earlier to sit upon the medium couch, he intently watched his great-grandson slumber peacefully and drool slightly upon the elder Shugorei's leg which was currently acting as a pillow. 

The moment of silence was broken as the Hokage grunted and began to address the elder shinobi.

"I didn't say anything before in front of the ANBU, but what you did back there was quite excessive," the man stated solemnly as he removed the triangle hat that marked him as the Hokage and ran a hand back over his balding head. "This could cause a great deal of problems for you and Naruto, but I will do what I can to placate the council and Konoha Military Police."

Jinjiro nodded silently recognizing that the battle had shifted to the political arena. Before answering quietly, "I understand and am grateful for all you have done so far."

Letting one of his hands brush through the unruly blond locks of the sleeping child he continued, "I need to enter Naruto's mindscape and check a few things for myself before our other guest arrives."

Nodding slightly the Hokage realized that it would be futile to argue against it as the elder Shugorei would not be dissuaded and that sooner or later it would occur. Better to have it done here and now where he could observe and intervene in case of trouble.

Seeing the silent acknowledgement Jinjiro's eyes took on an ethereal glow as the hand he hand had been stroking the boys hair with came to rest firmly on the child's head. Feeling the outer world slowly fade away the Shugorei member let himself drift into Naruto's inner world.

* * *

Blinking slightly Shugorei Jinjiro found himself in a grassy park with the sun shining. Looking about he spied several structures surrounding the park that belonged in Konoha, yet were no where near this close to any of the parks and playgrounds. He recognized the Hokage Tower, the Konoha Orphanage, the Konoha Hospital, and a small ramen stand that had been set up just a decade before he had gone into exile. Moving forward into the park he heard laughter and soon spied the form of his great-grandson. 

Naruto was chasing and being chased by what appeared to be characters from storybooks and nursery rhymes. These creatures ranged from a cat in a floppy hat wearing shiny black boots to a small manlike figure that appeared to be made of gingerbread. A large egg-man played on a wall nearby and a few animals ran about carrying items that were as varied as fruits and vegetables to small toys and clothes.

The elder Shugorei allowed himself to smile as he felt a sense of relief that the boy's dream was like that of any small child. He even allowed himself a slight chuckle as watched Naruto race over to a small group of people that included the Hokage and the matron as well as a number of masked ANBU; it seemed as if Naruto wished to have them join in the childish game that was being played with the imaginary creatures. For a moment Jinjiro even felt a little startled as he saw what appeared to be a vague outline of himself present in the group even though Naruto had only laid eyes upon him for a few moments.

That detail immediately sobered him from his feeling of ease as it reminded him that he had important things to be looking for other than the child's current sleepy dream. Moving his gaze around the area he immediately noticed the two things he was looking for.

The first was between the Hokage Tower and the Konoha Orphanage. Moving over towards it the shape of the object became readily apparent as that of a large, silvery ball. Laying his hands upon it, Jinjiro at once began to get a myriad of information coursing through his own mind.

The silver orb was the immature manifestation of Naruto's inner soul, the soul that would form the inner world where the manifestation of Naruto's Zanpakuto would reside. Jinjiro was surprised that for still being immature the sphere was as large as it was, considering that it was the size of a small boulder where most Shugorei at this age would have their own globe appear to be the size of an apple. Sensing that the spirit residing inside the silvery sphere was still sleeping and gathering the energy needed before it could manifest and reveal itself and the inner world to Naruto when the Zanpakuto was formed.

Turning from the globe that just reached his hip Jinjiro allowed himself to begin moving towards his other point of interest.

Moving into the forest that surrounded the park he found himself before a small hole nestled beneath the roots of an ancient and gnarled tree. Reaching down into the burrow he felt himself slipping away from the park setting and arriving in a sewer like tunnel that had flickering yellow lights and greasy, oily water up to the point of his ankles.

Taking a moment to steady himself, the de facto head of the Shugorei began to walk the disgusting passageways until he found himself in an immense chamber.

The chamber was illuminated by the same yellow light that had flickered in the tunnels leading to it and the same greasy, oily water covered the floor. However, the thing that drew the entirety of his attention were the massive gates that stood before him and took up nearly the entire far wall. At the center of the gates was a large metal panel with the word for seal inscribed boldly onto it.

Stepping forward towards the gates the elder Shugorei felt something stir within the darkness that seemed to swallow the yellow light before it could make it too far into the cage. Looking at the eerie blackness he halted as two large crimson orbs suddenly appeared and began to focus upon him. These, he immediately realized, were the eyes of the Kyuubi no Youko.

Feeling a massive pulse of demonic rage echo from the cell Jinjiro noted the loud clang as huge claws thrust through the bars only to be held firm by the metal doorways. Focusing back upon the eyes as the claws were withdrawn he saw gleaming white teeth form as the outline of the demon's maw became visible.

"**Come to gloat have you, pathetic mortal!"** the beast raged as the air seemed to be filled with the stench of rotting corpses and burnt flesh. **"Know that when I escape this pitiable cage I will devour you and this child. Oh yes, I will enjoy the cracking of your bones as I taste the flavor of you flesh and marrow!"**

Felling not the least bit intimidated by the imprisoned bijuu Jinjiro began to eye the creature before addressing it.

"Hear me beast, I am Shugorei Jinjiro, Lord of Clan Shugorei! The child you threaten is my great-grandson and you shall do no such thing as I…," Jinjiro began to retort loudly before being cut off by the soul wrenching laughter of the demonic Fox.

"**I am well aware of what you are scion of the Shinigami. I have battled your kind for centuries and your flesh is most delectable,"** the nine-tailed beast retorted smugly as a long tongue played across the beast's teeth. **"It matters not that you have come here or that your descendant is the one who now imprisons me, I shall not be defeated so easily and there is little you or this miserable seal can do to stop me."**

Standing firmly the Shugorei Lord felt his anger at the demon grow, but quickly tamped it down as he did not wish to let the creature see that it could affect him. Continuing to glare at the beast that was just beyond the gates before him he carefully thought of his words as they could allow him to gain valuable information.

"Such bluster from something that is little more than a caged animal. Do you wail so much because you realize that you are now attached to the boy and will follow him into the embrace of death when he passes from this world or perhaps you have always been of such ill manners that you should be likened to an old crone?" Jinjiro taunted hoping to see the Kitsune strike out at the bars that held him once again. Regrettably this was not the case as the demon simply narrowed its eyes as it glared harshly at the one who had intruded upon its confinement.

"**This meaningless banter tires me, so speak what you have to say and be gone before my patience is ended,"** the Kyuubi coldly stated.

Smiling slightly at how the great Kyuubi no Youko had been bested in a small game of words Shugorei Jinjiro began to ask what he had come to learn, "I wish to know what contact you have had with Naruto as you were not represented in his dreamscape?"

Pausing for a moment as if contemplating the answer the Kyuubi grimly replied, **"I have healed the kit on the occasions that he has been close to taking the both of us from this world. The first time was when he was still fresh from his mother's belly as he was not yet developed enough to survive. The second was when he received a large puncture to his chest when he was only but a year old. The last time was only a short while ago and by far the worst as he had been significantly mauled and damaged, though it was nothing that I could not deal with as you humans are pathetically fragile things."**

"So, other than those three incidents you have had no direct contact with him in any form?" the concerned Shugorei questioned.

"**I have felt my chakra being pulled through this damnable seal and have noticed that it is affecting the kit's natural abilities and development,"** the Kyuubi responded smugly, as if it were proud that it had the ability to improve upon the humans that he disdained, before taking on an even greater tone of amusement. **"Other than that and those three events I have never had the pleasure of actually meeting my jailor directly, until now that is."**

Hearing that statement and the low, growling chuckle that accompanied it Jinjiro was confused until he heard the small gasp and whirled to find Naruto's diminutive figure behind him. The boy must have somehow followed him from the dreamscape into the inner representation of the seal and the demon that it bound.

Moving to grab the boy and quickly remove him from the vicinity of the demon he was stopped as the thundering voice of the Fox addressed the little child.

"**So little one you finally come to visit me eh?"** the Kyuubi sarcastically questioned. **"Are you afraid? Do you wish me to devour you now and save you the trouble of dieing later after suffering at the hands of those who surround you?"**

The Kitsune was attempting to frighten Naruto and to Jinjiro's surprise the boy began to march towards the cage only to stop next to Jinjiro in front of the great beast.

Looking up and staring directly at those malicious red eyes Naruto yelled while stamping his right foot down into the water, "You're mean and stupid you big poopy-head!"

Watching his great-grandson blow a raspberry in the direction of the cage after just having used childish insults caused Jinjiro to suddenly burst out in laughter after checking to make sure he was still alive and the world had not suddenly slipped into an apocalyptic event.

Sputtering at being treated with such disrespect by a child that should have been terrified, as people three time his age often pissed themselves in his presence, the Kyuubi no Youko began to bash against his prison bars with both claw and fang while screaming, **"How dare you call me such things you, you…I will devour you whole and use my chakra to keep you alive while I digest you over a millennia!"**

Whether it was the inability for the Fox to come up with an insult after being so disrespected by a mere child or if it was because Naruto was now making childish faces at the incarcerated demon Jinjiro couldn't hold it in anymore and let loose with even more uproarious laughter at the situation the unfurled before him. However, his laughter immediately stopped as he saw the crimson chakra of the demon stretching forth from the cell towards him and Naruto.

Suddenly worried that things had suddenly gotten too far out of hand and they were now in real danger Jinjiro reached down to grab Naruto and leave, but Naruto once again surprised him.

Looking at the oncoming demonic energies Naruto petulantly stomped his right foot again and shouted, "No!"

To Jinjiro's amazement the chakra retreated ever so slightly and Naruto began to repeat the command forcing the chakra back inch by inch until it was confined to the cage once again.

Deciding that enough was enough Jinjiro grabbed Naruto's hand and hefted the child up and began to concentrate on getting them back to reality.

Before they fazed out of the inner sanctum he heard the Kyuubi roaring in frustration and cursing, **"This is far from over! I will find a way to escape and on that day you will feel the full fury of my wrath…!"**

* * *

Waking back to the real world Jinjiro was surprised to find himself being shaken by an overly concerned Hokage. Looking down to his lap he found that Naruto too was waking and was being gathered up into a concerned hug by a clearly worried matron. Taking a moment to collect his thoughts and allow himself to fully awaken Jinjiro heard Sarutobi begin to question him. 

"What happened? You looked fine for the most part, but halfway through you began to sweat profusely and your skin began to grow a sickly pallor," the Sandaime began to question fervently. "Just after that Naruto started to show signs of the 'you know what', what happened in there?"

The concern that marked the Hokage's voice cause Jinjiro to look down to where Naruto was trying to apologize for going exploring and disobeying the matron. Said woman was holding the boy and calmly reassuring him that while she was unhappy that he had disappeared she was happier that he was alright. Jinjiro could see she was fighting to hold back tears and concluded that the woman clearly cared enough for Naruto that she could be trusted with what he and the Hokage would discuss.

However, before he could begin to explain everyone's attention focused to Naruto as the young boy explained he had had a dream where he had met a very mean, and very ugly thing which he thought might be a kitty.

Hearing that Jinjiro let out a large laugh which immediately focused the attention of his great-grandson and the others in the room onto himself as they had looks of confusion or surprise at his sudden outburst.

"Hey!" Naruto excitedly exclaimed. "You're that old man from the park and from my dream!"

Having both the matron and the Hokage staring at him with looks that demanded answers Jinjiro decided that now would be a good time to explain a few things.

"Yes I am Naruto," he began calmly as he saw the young blonde's face light up at being acknowledged. "I put you into a dream at the park and then entered it to look at a few things, but what you experienced when you followed me into the tunnels was not part of the dream."

Seeing the look of confusion crossing the small kid's face he tried to explain, "That part when you met that thing behind the bars really happened, understand?"

Naruto was still confused but answered, "You mean I really did meet a mean, ugly kitty?"

Looking his granddaughter's child in the eyes as he knelt down before the boy, Jinjiro responded, "That wasn't a kitty Naruto. That was a fox, more specifically that was the infamous Kyuubi no Youko."

Hearing the gasps of both the matron and the old man with the triangle hat, Naruto didn't know what infamous meant but he had heard of the Kyuubi. Suddenly his eyes went wide as he began to shake with fear even though the matron wrapped him in a comforting hug again.

"Why…why did I meet him?" the terrified child sputtered.

Feeling a presence kneel down next to him Jinjiro caught the glance from the Sandaime that said he would explain it to the boy.

"Naruto," the old man began. "You know how your birthday is October tenth, right?

Seeing a shaky nod from the child Sarutobi continued, "That was the same day that the Kyuubi was defeated, but to do that the Yondaime had to seal the demon away. You know who the Yondaime is right?"

Another silent and shaky nod came from Naruto and the Sandaime sighed knowing that the next part could possibly shatter the boy, "The Yondaime had to seal the demon into something that could destroy the Fox eventually. The only thing that was that strong was you."

The matron felt Naruto stop shaking suddenly as his little world came crashing down. Worriedly she began to rock him while mumbling words of comfort into his sun kissed hair before he was pulled out of her embrace by Jinjiro.

"Look at me Naruto," the elder man ordered until he saw the boy's eyes focus into his own. "Even though you have the Kyuubi inside of you that does not mean that you are bad or like him okay? You are Naruto and that will never change nor will it change the love that I, the Hokage, and the matron feel for you, understand?"

Seeing the boy nod as tears threatened to fall down his little whiskered cheeks Jinjiro pulled the boy into a tight embrace and felt the boy begin to let out all of his fear and confusion. Rubbing small circles on the boy's t-shirt covered back Jinjiro began to make soothing sounds as he attempted to comfort his only living connection to his precious Kushina-hime.

Finally Naruto seemed to stop crying so Jinjiro hoisted the boy up to sit next to him on the couch they had previously been on. The Hokage and matron began to gather around as Naruto needed to learn a few more secrets.

Glancing to the matron the Hokage began to quietly ask, "Naruto? There are a few secrets that I need to tell you. Is it okay if the matron hears them too?

The boy seemed to perk up when he was presented with the idea of learning secrets and seemed to tilt his head thoughtfully before answering simply, "Okay."

"Good," the Sandaime said as he brought chairs over for the matron and himself to sit in. "Now I am going to tell you why the Yondaime chose you."

Seeing the boy look directly at him the old man couldn't help but feel he was looking at a far younger version of Minato.

"You see Naruto, the Yondaime's name was Namikaze Minato," the Hokage stated slowly so that Naruto could understand. "He couldn't let you die when the Kyuubi attacked so he had you help him defeat it, do you understand?"

Everyone watched as Naruto nodded even though he probably didn't fully understand.

"There is a very special reason why he didn't want you to die," the Hokage continued. "Naruto, Minato was your otousan."

The boy gasped and visibly tensed up, but Jinjiro wrapped an arm around him and that seemed to help the young vessel whisper out, "Tousan…what about kaasan?"

Jinjiro pulled Naruto slightly and looked the young boy in the eyes as he explained calmly, "Your mother was Shugorei Kushina and she loved you just as much. She wanted you to be safe and the best way she do that was to help your father, okay?"

Seeing the boy nod silently once again Jinjiro began to explain further, "My name is Shugorei Jinjiro and I was your mother's ojiisan. That means that I am your hijijisan. Do you understand?"

Naruto was trying to take in all of this new information and it was making his head hurt. He had only wanted to go exploring earlier and now he had actually found something. He had parents and they were people that the kids in the orphanage wanted to be like when the matron told those stories of the brave and heroic shinobi of Konoha. He was also finding that he had someone who said that he was related to him.

Letting out a startling whoop of joy Naruto leapt to his feet and began to jump up and down on the couch yelling, "I have parents, I have parents, I have parents!"

The three adults in the room all let out sad chuckles at the antics they were now watching wishing that it wasn't just them, but that Kushina and Minato were here to see their little boy.

The matron reached out and began to hold the energetic boy as he started to calm down from his excitement. She was slightly confused on Naruto's heritage and decided to voice her questions before she allowed the little boy to get his hopes any higher.

"Pardon me Hokage-sama, Shugorei-sama, but if what you say is true why did Naruto come to the orphanage?" she respectfully asked. "Shouldn't he have been taken in by you Shugorei-sama?"

Hearing the question Jinjiro sucked in a breath knowing that he had only himself to blame for not returning when he had originally heard that the Sandaime was looking for him shortly after the Kyuubi incident. Focusing on Naruto and the matron he let his head fall slightly as he felt shame rise up.

"At the time I was exiled from Konoha and wasn't aware of Naruto having been born," he sullenly explained before snapping his gaze to lock directly to Naruto's innocent eyes. "However, now that I am here I plan to take Naruto and give him the family he needs while instructing him in his heritage."

Naruto didn't understand what all of the words that he had been hearing, but he did pickup on family and began to ask, "Does that mean I am being a-dop-ted?"

His tongue struggled as he pronounced that last word but Naruto let his eyes look back into the grey eyes of the old man sitting next to him as hope began to fill him.

"Well I am already your relative so by legal rights I am your guardian," the elder Shugorei began to answer only to see Naruto's face look askance in confusion so he decided to give a simple answer that Naruto would fully understand. "Yes, that means that I am adopting you and you will come to live with me."

With those last few words Naruto once again began to bounce up and down wildly as he turned to the matron and began to excitedly question if she had heard.

Chuckling as he watched Naruto alternate between hugging Jinjiro and the matron the Hokage got up from where he had bee seated and moved to his desk. Shuffling a few papers he found what he was looking for before turning to speak, "Well if that's the case then I guess I will set you up in a place to live while you have the compound re…."

"No," Jinjiro forcefully cut off the Sandaime while gaining the attention of Naruto and the matron. "Naruto will come and live with me, but we will not be staying here in Konoha."

The old Hokage began to protest when the elder man cut him off with a hard gaze.

"I have seen how Naruto isn't safe around Konoha," he began as he moved from the couch towards the Hokage. "I will not let him be hurt or used by the fools living here, so he will come with me until it is decided he is ready to return…if he decides to return."

The low threat that the Shugorei Lord added clearly stated that the man would not allow Naruto to stay and that he would make sure that when the time came Naruto would severely question the need to return at all.

"Be reasonable," the Hokage protested. "Naruto belongs in Konoha. You can't deny him the right to live in and learn about the village his families have protected for generations."

Seeing the two men gearing up for an argument and Naruto looking both confused and scared as the voices were beginning to turn into shouts the matron quickly silenced both men as she often needed to when the children at the orphanage squabbled.

"You are both acting like petulant children fighting over a toy," she began strictly. "But Naruto isn't a toy, he is a little boy who needs you to think and act in his best interests."

Seeing the two old men flush with embarrassment she moved over next to Naruto on the couch and held him in her lap while stating, "I think you should let Naruto decide what he wants to do as it is _his_ future that you are debating."

Moving over to Naruto Jinjiro knelt down in front of the boy.

"Naruto if you come with me I will take you away from the mean people here. I will show you a wide open world full of adventure," the elderly Shugorei spoke in a calm yet earnest voice. "I promise that I will always love and care for you and never let you be alone again. You will become strong and I will make sure that you will learn how to be a true shinobi and all about your parents and family."

Hearing the offer of adventure and excitement about learning how to be a shinobi and more about his parents Naruto looked longingly at the matron hoping she would let him go.

Seeing that this was a battle that he couldn't win the Sandaime let out a sigh saying, "Alright, I will let you take Naruto away. However, I want your word of honor Jinjiro that he will be allowed to come back in a few years to learn more about Konoha and why his parents loved it."

Seeing the resolute stance that 'the Professor' was taking Jinjiro nodded saying, "Very well, then you have my word that I will allow Naruto to return to learn more about Konoha, so long as the first provision of the contract between the Shugorei and Konohagakure will be enforced without repercussion if he decides that he does not wish to stay."

Knowing that the first provision allowed for the Shugorei to leave Konoha under certain conditions without fear of reprisal was part of Konoha's legal code the Sandaime realized that this was the best he could hope to get. Jinjiro was the boy's legal guardian under Konoha law and could actually contest the entire matter before the council. While it would be a risky gamble the Sandaime felt that the odds were good enough that the Shugorei head would be able to win, if he used the correct political maneuvers, and just as one hated to face a Shugorei on the battlefield it was just as bad to face one in the political arena.

"Agreed," Sarutobi stated firmly though a bit of disdain did creep into his voice.

Feeling both of the old men looking at him Naruto let his gaze move back to the matron and asked, "Can I go please? I really want to."

Looking at the little boy sadly the matron answered, "Remember how I was teaching you about being responsible the other day?"

Seeing Naruto nod she continued, "This is one of those times I told you about where you would have to make your own decision and stick to it."

"I want to go then," Naruto responded quickly breaking her heart slightly as she would miss the little ball of sunshine.

"Then I guess we had better go back home and pack your things so that you will be ready…," she trailed off while looking back to Jinjiro and asking, "When do you think you will be leaving?"

The old Shugorei straightened up from where he had knelt down and took on a thoughtful pose.

"Well seeing as how it is already into the mid-afternoon I think we will grab a quick dinner and be on our way tonight," he responded crisply.

Feeling his hope drop the Hokage nodded knowing that it would be necessary as word would reach the council of the day's events and he would have difficulty tomorrow dealing with many of the fools who sat upon the venerable body. Letting Naruto and Jinjiro leave tonight would mean that they would be well away before the council could try to have them recalled and he wouldn't allow any Konoha-nins to be used to hunt the pair down as Jinjiro would take special care to gift wrap the coffins and body bags that were sent back in response.

Seeing that the matter was settled the matron took Naruto's hand and lead him from the office to where one of the ANBU guards would transport them back to the orphanage to begin packing.

Alone in the office Sarutobi fixed the remaining Shugorei with a hard glare as the man turned to regard him.

"Listen well Jinjiro," the aged Hokage began in a stern tone. "I made a promise to Minato and Kushina that I would watch over Naruto and make sure he grew up to be not only strong and capable, but also a good and respectable person. If you try anything that would undermine that oath I will make sure you suffer greatly for it."

Smirking at the not too subtle threat Jinjiro began to walk out of the office before responding, "He is my flesh and blood and now my greatest concern. Be assured that I will teach him everything I know and make him into a strong Shugorei warrior."

With that said Jinjiro left to go and retrieve a few items from the hidden areas of the Shugorei compound that would be required along side the scrolls that the Hokage had gathered for him and presented him with earlier.

Standing alone now the Hokage sighed before responding quietly, "That's what I am afraid of."

* * *

Jinjiro stood at the main gate of Konohagakure waiting for the Sandaime to arrive. Next to him was Naruto wearing a small backpack that the matron had helped him pack, the small bag only contained a set of clothes and a few small items as the majority of Naruto's clothing and few possessions now resided in the scroll that Jinjiro sealed them into. 

The elder Shugorei chuckled lightly as he remembered arriving to get Naruto from the orphanage to find him waiting with the matron. The woman had a large bag that had a few sets of clothes, possessions, and small knickknacks that were given to every child when they were preparing to leave the orphanage. Jinjiro had immediately unrolled a blank scroll and quickly sealed the bag and its items into the paper for easier accessibility. Naruto had immediately gone hyperactive upon seeing the simple sealing technique and began to bounce around asking if he would learn such a cool technique. Jinjiro had assured him as the trio walked to dinner that when the time came he would make sure the Naruto learned the technique.

Dinner had been an interesting affair as Naruto had nearly begged for ramen, which the matron seemed to frown upon but acceded to when Jinjiro pointed out that it would probably be the last time Naruto got to indulge in the food until they returned to Konoha in a few years. With that said the old Shugorei head was reacquainted with one Ichiraku Teuchi and his young daughter, Ayame, or as Naruto called them grumpy man and oneesan. While eating Jinjiro clearly saw the Naruto had indeed inherited the fabled Shugorei appetite, which was only rivaled by the Akimichi, though the near addiction to ramen he blamed squarely upon Minato as the man had been somewhat obsessed with the dish.

When dinner had ended and Jinjiro had paid a now happy Teuchi the trio had begun to head towards the main gate where Jinjiro had promised to wait until the Sandaime arrived. On the way he had watched Naruto carefully as the boy would run ahead and then wait for himself and the matron to catch up. During this little game the elder Shugorei began to thank the matron for her dedicated care of Naruto as she and the orphanage had dealt with a number of extra hardships due in part to the young child's presence. Though she had declined his thanks Jinjiro made sure to slip the small envelop that held a substantial monetary donation into one of her pockets as the woman would have refused the money as a reward for what she had seen as her duty to any child that was placed in her care. Since she would have never accepted a reward for herself Jinjiro made sure that the large check was made out to the Konoha Orphanage. Just incase the woman still didn't accept he had made sure to send instructions to the Hokage to make sure the necessary funds were placed in the correct account.

Currently the matron was fussing over Naruto as the boy excitedly waited to set off on his newest adventure. She knelt down and held him at arms length reminding him to listen well to Jinjiro, to remember his manners, and to be careful no matter what. She had a sad smile on her face but didn't let Naruto realize that she was scared enough for the both of them as the boy agreed to everything she reminded him about. Finishing with him the matron stood and began to move closer to Jinjiro.

Catching his eye the matron addressed the Shugorei warrior in a nervous and respectful tone, "Please take good care of Naruto, Jinjiro-sama. He's a good boy and still so pure and innocent. I worry that many of the less scrupulous people in this world will try and take advantage of him. I will make sure to offer prayers for him and you just as I do for all the children who enter and leave my care."

Seeing the aging woman fighting hard to control her tears of sadness and joy Jinjiro nodded and reached a hand out to her shoulder while looking the small woman in the eye.

"You have my word that I will do everything to make sure he is safe," he began to say in a calming tone. "The Shugorei have always valued family over anything and I will make sure that he grows into a fine and respectable young man that you can be proud of."

The small moment of silent understanding between the two was interrupted as Naruto let out a loud squeal after spotting the Hokage walking towards them after landing only a few yards away.

Turning to regard the man dressed in the official red and white robes marking his office and rank Jinjiro nodded towards him while Naruto launched himself like a missile to latch onto the Hokage with a welcoming hug.

The Sandaime chuckled lightly as Naruto was peeled off before reaching into his robes to present several scrolls to Jinjiro.

"These are all the scrolls regarding the actions of your clan as well as Kushina and Minato the night of the sealing," the old man stated softly. "I also have included with them an official order that ends your exile and allows you draw help from any Konoha ninja no matter what the mission they may be on. I have officially classified this as an S-rank mission due to its secretive nature and the potential for dire consequences should things go astray."

Nodding to the Hokage Jinjiro accepted the scrolls and placed them in the bag next to others that he had recovered and deemed necessary for Naruto's education and training. Looking back to the Hokage he caught the man's eye.

"I trust you received my instructions earlier and understand their meaning implicitly," the Lord of the Shugorei stated solemnly.

"I did and will make sure that they are fulfilled if the time comes," responded the Hokage before turning to regard Naruto who was once again being hugged by the matron. "Are you sure that you will not reconsider staying and training him here?"

Sighing Jinjiro responded quietly, "There are too many distractions here that would take up my time, time which would be better spent training and teaching him. There are many enemies that will attempt to hurt Naruto when his heritage becomes common knowledge, I fully plan to make sure that Naruto is more than capable of putting them under should they become foolish enough to try anything too adventurous."

Pausing for a moment Jinjiro let his eyes stare off into space as information raced through this mind before continuing, "I said it before Sarutobi, I do not care for you or your philosophy, but I know your promise to Minato and Kushina remains true and for that you have my respect."

Nodding slightly in acknowledgement and farewell Shugorei Jinjiro moved forward to collect his great-grandson from the kindly, old matron who was once again making him promise that he would be careful and would not forget Konoha and all the people who cared about him.

Taking Naruto's hand in his right while hefting the bag containing his scrolls with his left, Jinjiro began to walk with Naruto down the path leading away from Konoha. Only about a few feet away Naruto suddenly broke from his grip and raced back to the watching matron and Hokage. Jinjiro could clearly hear the young boy let loose the tears that had been hiding behind his excited nature. Turning to wait he allowed the five year old time to give one last goodbye before Naruto came running back to take his hand and walk away from the village of his birth.

* * *

**AN:**_Another chapter out, only one of many to come. To all of you clamoring for what will happen next well you will just have to wait and see. To any new readers I hope you plan on continuing as I put up new chapters. On a side note maybe I should stop saying that there will be a new chapter in at least two weeks because I seem to get them out closer to one week, but what if I say one week and then it takes me two? Maybe I shouldn't even try to specify anymore on when new chapters will be coming. Anyways I would like to thank those readers who have taken the time to review or private message me over the story so far. Your comments have been very helpful and a few have even given me ideas on ways to enhance the fic._

_Thanks,_  
**Tyrchon**  
-,-

Jutsu Report (Konoha Classified Information)

**Dentatsutokusei no Tama** - A soul transfer ceremony developed by the Shugorei to fully induct outsiders into the clan while giving them access to the inherent abilities that give the Shugorei their great power. Little is known about what the ceremony actually entails as it is a closely guarded secret of the Shugorei and all those who witness it are sworn to the utmost secrecy. One of the few cases known to have occurred since the Shugorei helped form Konoha was the induction of Uzumaki Hyo who was the father of Kushina and thus Naruto's grandfather. Because of the unknown nature of any technique involved the little information on the ceremony that exists, outside that held by Clan Shugorei, was restricted by the Shodaime underneath the classification of S-rank Kinjutsu. This makes it one of the few skills completely unknown to even the highest ranked shinobi and kunoichi of Konoha other than those of the Shugorei and the Hokage himself.

**Tenmei** - This is the name of the Zanpakuto wielded by Shugorei Jinjiro and means God's Will. In its sealed state the sword looks like a normal katana except for the guard or tsuba which elongates out before and behind the blade ending in small roundels that curve up on one side and down on the other. As he has grown old Shugorei Jinjiro has hidden the weapon under a small Henge making it appear to be a gnarled walking stick or cane. However, this illusion can be quickly dropped if needed. To activate the Shikai Shugorei Jinjiro says 'Yuigadokuson' meaning 'Holy am I alone'.

- In its Shikai state Tenmei takes the form of a bastard or hand-and-a-half sword. The hilt is wrapped in a bluish-grey leather and is long enough to be gripped with both hands to deliver heavy blows yet balanced enough that the blade could be wielded with a single hand for quicker moves that required a greater degree of finesse. The pommel is a golden claw with three talons clutching a light blue crystal. Before the blade one sees a guard made of golden flames the spread out to either side of the blade giving the weapon a strange cruciform shape. The actual blade itself is thick, straight, and double-edged leading to a distinctive triangular point. The fuller running the length of the blade is hardly discernable as a faint silvery glow pulses about the whole of the weapon.

- In its released state Tenmei gives control of light to Jinjiro allowing him to do everything from illuminating darkened areas to destroying an enemy in a flash that can incinerate, cauterize, and cut nearly anything. While it is known that Shugorei Jinjiro is an elite of his clan few have ever lived to tell of the Bankai form and abilities of his Zanpakuto, as of now they still remain unknown.

**Shugorei Clan Registry** - A list of all Shugorei clan members the registry acts as a record of the status of each person within the ranks of the Shugorei. Each member of the Shugorei is required to sign the registry have their abilities bound. The members must sign in their own blood and an unknown jutsu is used to bind the name to the registry. While alive a member's name will appear bright red, but if that member should be killed or die in someway their name will turn black. Should the member do something that was deemed unacceptable by the clan the offending member would have their name sealed. This seal somehow cuts the member off from using any Shugorei ability. Unlike the Hyuuga the sealing does not kill the member. Also, the sealing does not cause a member to lose all of their shinobi abilities, only the ones that are directly related to the clan. Exactly how and why the registry works and was created is a mystery to all but the elite of the clan, but what is known is that the threat of sealing is seen as the ultimate punishment to those who would betray the clan. Rumor has it that the registry was created shortly after an internal conflict that nearly gutted the clan and is not one of the original traditions of the clan.


	4. Chapter 3: You Learn and You Burn

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 3 – You Learn and You Burn**_

* * *

Dust stung in his nose as he tried to steady his breathing so as to calm his racing heart and aching lungs. His mind was racing as he took in the scrubland that surrounded his crouched form. Clear blue eyes darted back and forth searching for any sign of danger as his opponent severely outclassed him. Sweat dripped from his oily and dirty blond hair as the he tightened his grip upon the hilt of his katana. His black kimono was soaked completely through and was sticking to his battered body. The sandals that he normally wore had been discarded after they had nearly caught on fire after he had avoided a stray ball of fire, as such his feet were slightly bloody. All in all his appearance told of someone desperate.

Uzumaki Naruto, now taking to be called Shugorei Naruto at the insistence of his great-grandfather, silently prayed that he had lost his pursuer long enough to recover some of his stamina. The fact that he was actually tired and had been pushed to the limit told the young stamina-freak that he was indeed in great peril. Letting his mind wander for a moment the eleven year old thought back to his education and training that had truly begun shortly after leaving Konoha only six years ago.

The katana in his hand was only part of the testament to the difficult training methods he had been put through since he was five. Unlike other sword disciplines the Shugorei did not believe in giving out wooden training swords, they considered such things as mere toys for children not the tools needed to train true warriors. No, instead Naruto had been given a real katana that had been far too big and heavy for his little body to handle. Jinjiro had been strict in his explanation when the boy had complained.

"You are not a baby nor will you be treated as one," the elder Shugorei started with a hard glint to his eyes. "Live steel is the only way to train as you will learn to deal with and overcome your limitations. Your body will remember the pain each time you fail and you are struck, sooner or later you will stop being hit either because you advance or you die."

The old man had then unsheathed his own weapon and struck out at the confused five year old. If not for the boy's reflexes and dumb-luck moving his own sword up to clumsily block the slash, the training would have ended there as he would have been missing a head. Naruto had learned on that day that his hijijisan did not take kindly to whining or back talk. The bruises from where he was struck with the flat of a sword and his total exhaustion had testified to that.

Feeling his heart rate coming closer to its normal steady rate Naruto decided to move from the scrub brush he was crouching in as it barely offered any cover and left him wide open for long distance attacks. Not even bothering to rise from his crouch the young blond used Shunpo to move to a better location in a small grove of bamboo nearby.

Learning Shunpo had been incredibly difficult and Naruto prided himself upon finally being able to use it no matter his position. The first major step he had taken to learning the helpful jutsu was when he was six and Jinjiro had told him it was time to learn how to control his chakra.

Chakra control had been a slow and tedious process only made more difficult because of the immense size and erratic nature of Naruto's chakra due in no small part to the Fox that lay within. The first exercise had simply been manifesting the chakra as an aura, but it proved far from as easy as the elder Shugorei had demonstrated. If not for his hijijisan Naruto would probably have blown himself up as his consecutive tries caused a dangerous buildup of chakra in his cells and pathways. The old man had noticed it just before the young boy made another attempt, thus saving them both from a great deal of pain and anguish.

The next day Naruto had been introduced to meditation, though the hyperactive child had not liked the idea or practice of sitting still for hours on end trying to achieve a 'oneness' with the universe, he would now admit that it had significantly improved his focus. That focus had allowed him to finally manifest his chakra at the end of the month.

From manifestation to getting leaves to stick to his body while he dodged Jinjiro's assaults and finally to tree climbing just after his tenth birthday Naruto had learned to work with the nature and difficulties that his chakra presented. Once that had been accomplished he had started learning the first steps of Shunpo.

At first he had required the use of handseals and to be in a standing position, even then he could only go forward and backwards, but now he could move from any position in any direction with handseals no longer being necessary. However, the use of the technique did not mean he got out of physical training, oh no that would be too easy and if there was one thing he had learned, easy was not part of the path of the Shugorei.

Every technique, every bit of strength, and every step forward had to be earned and Jinjiro had made sure that the prices paid were never bartered down.

Suddenly sensing his opponent Naruto leapt to the side as a long beam of electric energy cut a path through where he had been. The charred sumps of the bamboo gave of an acrid odor, but his focus remained upon the shadow that had caused the deadly attack as it slowly advanced.

"A fair dodge at best, but it has hardly gained you anything," Shugorei Jinjiro stated solemnly.

The elder Shugorei had felt the ravages of time even more over the last few years. Where he had once had a short goatee he now had a wispier beard that hung down to his breastbone. His short hair from before was completely shaved away as his baldness had finally consumed nearly all of his hair and the leftover patches were anything but flattering. No longer was he as fast or strong as he had been only six years prior, but to take him lightly would be a mistake. The man may not be as spry as he once was, but he could still handle nearly anyone that was stupid or desperate enough to challenge him.

"That Byakurai was not even close to full power, if it had would you still have been able to dodge so sloppily?" the old man quipped.

"It may have been sloppy but it has served its purpose," retorted a smirking Naruto.

"Oh? Well would you enlighten me on what you plan to do now…?!" Jinjiro's mocking reply was cut off as he suddenly was forced to make his own dodge as twin flashes of silver came at him from either side.

Leaping up to the top of the bamboo grove the head of the Shugorei glanced down to see three images of his great-grandchild.

Curse that boy. He should have insisted that the boy learn Bunshin instead of letting him go to the more advanced Kage Bunshin so soon. He really only had himself to blame as he had presented the boy with the technique only a few days before the boy's ninth birthday as Naruto could not make his chakra create a successful clone that did not appear dead or simply blow up after a few minutes of existence. The Kage Bunshin had been the perfect solution as it allowed Naruto to focus the extra chakra that destroyed the regular clones to make the more advanced version fully solid. The new jutsu had proven a boon to Naruto even beyond Jinjiro's expectations.

The ability of the clones to transmit mental energy back to the original when undone had allowed Naruto to learn even faster than he had previously. The long lessons on academics and clan history had become much more tolerable when a small group of Narutos spent the time to read, practice, and recite the work.

"_Speaking of which,"_ Jinjiro thought suddenly.

"Naruto!" the old Shugorei yelled down gaining the attention of the trio as they prepared to take advantage of the sudden counterattack. "Tell me of 'The Usurpation'."

Leaping after their antagonist the trio began to respond in both chorus and by alternating lines.

"It was the time when Clan Shugorei still worked to enforce the will and peace of the Empire," the first Naruto said while launching a horizontal slash that was blocked, but left an opening for the Naruto coming in from behind.

That Naruto was dodged as the piercing attack forced Jinjiro back while hearing, "The clan was deceived by those who styled themselves supporters of the throne, that deception made the Shugorei leave the young Emperor barely guarded as the majority of the clan moved to destroy the fake invasion from the lands beyond the borders of the Empire."

"Good and what happened as a result of that mistake," Jinjiro calmly asked as he flipped beyond the third Naruto's rising slash.

Not letting the elder get away the third Naruto quickly moved after him while speaking, "The young Emperor was assassinated by the usurping supporters and the members of the Shugorei left behind as guards were destroyed as the civilians and dependants of the clan were executed as a warning."

A second Naruto leapt up with the charging Naruto to launch simultaneous attacks chorusing, "Yet the Shugorei were not deterred and marched upon the usurpers despite being alone, as the other forces of the Empire allied with the usurpers or refused to join the noble cause of defeating those who had murdered the Imperial Family and blemished Shugorei honor."

Blocking the attacks the Lord of the Shugorei lashed out with his fist into the Naruto on his right. The blow caught the boy in the face and sent him reeling back only to poof into a cloud of smoke while the Naruto on the old man's left leapt back to avoid a similar strike or at least that is what was thought by Jinjiro before detecting a crackling coming from behind.

"Byakurai!" exclaimed a Naruto that had used the distraction of the other two to outflank his hijijisan and point the index and middle fingers on his right hand towards the old man before letting loose a beam of light and electricity.

Though he moved to avoid the blast of energy, the beam clipped his left shoulder and Jinjiro could not help but smile at the progression of Naruto's skill. Only a year ago the boy would never have been able to keep up with him this long or even take advantage of a momentary distraction. Landing back down upon the ground the old man saw a Naruto land both in front and behind him before hearing the continuation of the tale telling of that part of the clan's history.

"Despite being outnumbered we bled to set right our honor right and overcame our foes to lay waste to those who had attempted to seize the throne," the Naruto in front of Jinjiro began.

"Though our clan suffered and lost much of its wealth and strength we were still committed to maintaining and restoring the power and glory of the throne," continued the Naruto behind Jinjiro.

"And what happened from there?" Jinjiro questioned while eyeing the two and waiting for them to make a move.

"The other powers within the Empire began to squabble over who would rule," both blonds chorused. "Soon the squabbles turned to all out war and the Shugorei were thrust into the center as many tried to gain our allegiance or destroy us. The Empire was torn asunder and thrust into the period known as 'the Wars of Succession'."

With those words both Narutos began their attacks and flashes of steel and the pitched clang of metal was heard as strikes were blocked and parried. Ripostes and counters were exchanged as two Narutos sought any opening to win against their far more experienced and skilled opponent.

Shugorei Jinjiro was impressed his Kushina-hime's son was actually pushing him to actively defend. Ducking his head slightly to avoid an upward thrust that would have taken his left eye he felt a warm tickle go down the side of his neck and realized his ear had a small slice in it. Now it was time to take this battle up a notch.

Releasing the chakra restraints that had fooled his body into thinking it weighed more and slowed down his nerve impulses to compensate, he quickly struck out with his Zanpakuto to force the blades coming in at him back. Pivoting upon his right heel he turned to stab towards the Naruto that had recovered and was attempting to come in from his right flank.

The stab passed only millimeters from the blocking sword and entered the throat of the Naruto that suddenly realized that the old man had decided a new degree of difficulty was warranted. Gasping for a moment the Naruto popped in a burst of smoke as the other Naruto descended with an overhead slash that was aimed at the extended sword arm of the elder Shugorei in the hopes of taking the arm off or at the very least disabling it so that the man had to switch hands.

However, Jinjiro was not an elite for just any reason and demonstrated why he had risen to prominence and survived countless battles. Aiming the upturned palm of his left hand at the descending youth he focused a small bit of chakra.

"Shakkahou!" exclaimed the elite Shugorei as a ball of red fire formed in his palm and then shot forth to hit his great-grandson in the chest.

The force of the jutsu stopped the descending strike and sent the boy crashing backwards into the ground a few feet away after crashing through several boughs of bamboo.

Smiling slightly and moving his Zanpakuto to rest on his right shoulder Jinjiro moved to check the unmoving form of the boy who had come so far in such a short time. Reflecting upon that thought the Shugorei Lord couldn't help but smirk with pride.

Naruto had started out slowly only a month after leaving Konoha. They would have started sooner but the boy had a full breakdown only a weak after leaving and realizing that his little adventure was going to be for far longer than he had expected. The entire week Jinjiro had to put up with a rather peeved, tantrum throwing child. Several times he had to force the boy to eat as the five year old tried unsuccessfully to go on a hunger strike to force them to return and visit the matron and Hokage.

The sight of a stubborn little Naruto with his face screwed up tight and his little arms crossed while sitting had at first been somewhat cute. However, it soon became a concern and the elder Shugorei decided that he simply could not let the love he felt for the boy cloud his own judgment.

Thankfully that phase had ended when Jinjiro had demonstrated walking on water in order to recover one of Naruto's sandals that the young child had thrown into a pond. The boy had been so amazed that he had forgotten his want to return and focused entirely upon wanting to learn how to do the same.

Chuckling at the memory Jinjiro recalled how the boy had tried to immediately run out onto the water only to fall in and get soaked. The resulting time around the campfire while clothes and a young blond were dried had yielded promising results as the Naruto had promised to learn everything that his hijijisan had to teach. The last six years had proven those words true as the young boy consumed lesson after lesson.

The Lord of the Shugorei had made a number of prayers in thanks because of that. In his rush to train Naruto and leave Konoha he had forgotten what it was like raising children and teaching them. Naruto had proven just as much a handful as Kushina had been, even more so as Naruto had a streak of curiosity and mischievousness that put his tomboyish mother to shame. Too often Jinjiro had found himself hip deep in some situation or other merely because Naruto had decided to investigate. The boy's love of pranks and practical jokes had also been the cause of more than one major headache, yet at the same time a few of those pranks had proven useful, though Jinjiro would never admit such a thing to Naruto. No need to encourage the boy too much.

Finally arriving next to the still smoldering boy Jinjiro broke from his thoughts to address the still conscious boy, "Not bad at all, you actually wounded me and forced me to release my restraints to counter you."

"Heh," came the chortle from the stirring form of Naruto. "Don't think its over yet hijiji."

The old man quirked an eyebrow in response before being startled when the Naruto in front of him disappeared in a puff of smoke revealing only broken bamboo beneath where the figure had lain.

"Kage Bunshin?" the Shugorei said while blinking in surprise and then turning his head to glance about the grove in the hopes of detecting the real Naruto.

He didn't have long to wait as suddenly a loud yell pierced the silence that had descended after the displacement of the clone.

"Soukatsui!" shouted Naruto as he appeared from under a Henge that had masked him as a fallen piece of bamboo just to Jinjiro's left flank.

The large blast of destructive chakra advanced quickly burning and destroying anything caught in its path. However, Shugorei Jinjiro barely batted an eyelash as he used Shunpo to move out of the path of the vicious explosion of energy.

Having just let loose with the most destructive technique in his arsenal Naruto dropped to a knee and panted as he waited for his chakra to refill so he could zip after his retreating opponent. Well that was the plan but it was sorely interrupted when he felt the cold sharpness of a blade put to the back of his neck.

"Not bad, not bad at all," Jinjiro stated proudly from behind the form of his great-grandchild. "You were actually the clone I thought I destroyed first, but you used Henge to create the puff of smoke and transform into the fallen bamboo while your clones provided the distraction."

Smirking slightly knowing he had been found out Naruto responded while still looking towards the area he had destroyed, "I needed the time to ready my Soukatsui, even though I only need half of the seals now it still takes me awhile to gather and mold the chakra properly."

Nodding the elder Shugorei helped the younger to his feet signaling the end of the training spar.

"You have definitely improved, your Kage Bunshin coordinate with you well and demonstrated the ability to use jutsu," the old man stated while moving to his left hip and sheathing the unreleased Tenmei

"Yeah," Naruto answered sullenly while sheathing his katana in the sheath worn on his back. "But I have to really reinforce them to allow them to do so and that means I can only create a few instead of the many that I would normally use."

Patting the boy on the shoulder the elderly man grinned while saying, "Remember some situations will call for quality over quantity while others for the opposite, so learning to use your clones responsibly will give you an edge in dealing with whatever you encounter."

Naruto nodded silently as the two began to walk back to the small home that Jinjiro had set up years ago within a cave. It wasn't an exquisite hotel but it still held a quality that could be found nowhere else. The elder Shugorei had setup the home after being exiled and used it whenever he wasn't traveling around the Elemental Countries. Located near the center of the peninsula that was the mainland of Tea Country it was far enough removed from any center of populace so as to be undisturbed and allow for the rather destructive training without anyone coming to investigate.

When Naruto had come to live with his great-grandfather he had been somewhat disappointed, but the place had slowly grown on him. Truth be told they never stayed for more than a few months at a time as Jinjiro preferred to travel.

Naruto had visited nearly all of the countries that had made up the long lost Empire. At each he had learned the different bits of history that Jinjiro deemed necessary. The old man had been an exacting task master and would not move to another country until Naruto could recite the required knowledge. Personally Naruto wished they had concentrated more on shinobi abilities, but since he was still a novice he had little to argue when it came to how his lessons were structured.

As the two came to the mouth of their home Naruto let out a highly audible sigh which his hijijisan immediately jumped on.

"Don't be so hard on yourself boy," the bald man stated comfortingly. "I have many years of experience to guide me, one day I will be remarking to the other geezers at the 'old shinobi home' that there was once a time when I could actually keep up with you."

Hearing the small joke and the light chuckle accompanying it perked Naruto up as he responded, "Its not that it's just that I still haven't been able to form my own Zanpakuto yet. Summer is nearly at an end and that means fall and my twelfth birthday will be here soon. I have looked through 'The Chronicles' and most Shugorei have formed their Soul Slayer by that point, the majority of the exceptions are members who have been inducted in at a later age."

Feeling the melancholy aura surrounding the boy Jinjiro rubbed his whiskered chin in consideration.

"You have been trying very hard to form your blade," he responded while continuing to stroke the wispy hairs on his chin. "Remember that it is in many ways a sentient being as it is a reflection of your own soul. It will form when it believes you ready and not beforehand."

Chuckling lightly Jinjiro quipped, "I remember when a few other Shugorei were having difficulties, they tried everything to get their blades not only to form but to speak to them. They attempted to bargain and reason, to bribe and demand, yet they were unsuccessful as they missed the point that the spirit they were dealing with was in many ways themselves. If you truly believe yourself ready your Zanpakuto will feel the same and reveal itself. Until then you must be patient."

"When did your Zanpakuto form hijiji?" Naruto suddenly questioned.

Caught off guard the old man rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as he attempted to answer, "Well you see Tenmei…."

"**Can answer for himself thank you very much,"** came a sudden voice that carried with it a hint of the tinkling of small bells.

Forming next to Shugorei Jinjiro was the personification of his Zanpakuto, Tenmei.

Tenmei rarely ever came out into the outside world in a display that others could see as it taxed Jinjiro's chakra just as it would any Shugorei. However, the spirit often decided to add its own words into a conversation for Naruto's benefit and Jinjiro's embarrassment.

Ignoring a protesting Jinjiro who was yelling and cursing, the Soul Slayer looked towards Naruto as it formed and began to speak,** "This fool at one point tried to sing me a song that his elder brother convinced him would draw me forth."**

"I was ten!" yelled an embarrassed Jinjiro. "How was I to know that Hideyoshi was just messing with me!"

Naruto giggled slightly as he watched his hijiji argue with the Zanpakuto, who had finally fully formed.

Tenmei was an interesting character as he was often brash and rude, especially to his master. The personification of the Zanpakuto was somewhat odd as it took on the appearance of a wispy spirit wearing silver shackles on its wrists and a golden half-mask with blue crystal for eyes where its eyes and cheeks should be. The Soul Slayer completely lacked a mouth or a nose for that matter. In fact other than the wispy ethereal pieces that wiggled back in forth on the figure's head and down past the main body mass one would not be able to tell where the figure began and ended. Without the mask and shackles to give contrast to the light colored energy, or whatever actually made the translucent spirit, it would have been easy to not even see Tenmei if you looked right at him.

Toning out the two as they bickered Naruto let his mind play back to when he first was introduced to the personification of his hijiji's Zanpakuto. It had occurred just after he had turned six and started Kenjutsu training. It had been decided that he needed motivation so Jinjiro summoned Tenmei forth into the world, what had occurred next would still bring a smile to Naruto's face and a scowl to Jinjiro's.

Tenmei had never taken kindly to being called forth unless it was for battle and so when he appeared he let Jinjiro have an earful. The elder Shugorei still blamed the spirit for Naruto learning several words and phrases that should never be in a small child's vocabulary, though to tell the truth the old man had made his own contributions to that taboo list due in part to his own brashness and profane manner.

Deciding that he did not want to wait around in his dirty, sweat stained clothes any longer Naruto casually looked back before stating with a small grin, "Dinner is your chore tonight Jinjiro-hijiji, I'm going to go and take a bath."

Suddenly breaking from his argument with his inner reflection upon hearing the statement Shugorei Jinjiro yelled irately, "I fixed dinner the last two nights when you wanted to bathe after training! You could at least take pity upon an old man and let him bathe first!"

Laughing and hearing his laughter echoed by Tenmei, Naruto used Shunpo to zip away and reach the small bath that had been built into the back of the cave.

Seeing Naruto wasn't going to be swayed by his plea the elder Shugorei let out a resigned sigh before sourly remarking, "Damn young punk."

This would have been all well and good except Tenmei heard it and immediately started to laugh harder while blubbering between laughs, "Seems… you finally… met your…match Jinjiro!"

With his right eye twitching the annoyed old man swiftly turned upon the cackling soul and exclaimed, "Shut it, no one called you out here anyway!"

* * *

Sighing contentedly as the warm water soothed his muscles and washed away the first layer of grime on his tanned skin, Naruto let himself settle into the stone tub that had been carved from the natural rock of the cavern. The bath was really a marvel as Jinjiro had engineered it to use a gravity fed water system and a thermal convection heating system. The entire facility was almost like having real indoor plumbing, except for some of the extra amenities that many an engineer was paid extra to install and actually served little purpose other than being a statement of one's sophistication. 

He had really changed since he had been taken away from Konohagakure. Most of his baby-fat was gone, except for the tiny bit that rounded out his face, replaced with athletic muscle that was just starting to show signs of definition as he moved closer to adolescence. Though he was nowhere close to being a giant the eleven year old was a respectable four feet and six inches. Of course Naruto felt he should be taller and like Jinjiro before him, often flew off the handle when anyone made a crack about his height. His eyes still sparkled with their pure, oceanic blue and had a gleam that spoke of the boy being mischievous.

However, despite having gained knowledge that he could have never hoped to acquire if he had stayed in Konoha Naruto still felt a twinge of sadness when he thought back to the village of his birth.

Thinking on the subject Naruto let his mind wonder, _"I hope matron-baba and Hokage-jiji are doing okay."_

The two people had been the closest thing to a family for him when he had lived in Konoha. Both had taken extra care to make sure he was safe, with the matron acting like a loving grandmother and the Hokage a wise grandfather.

Naruto would sometimes worry that thinking about the two was a betrayal of Jinjiro-hijiji. The man had taught him much, the elder Shugorei had even provided some closeness that Naruto had lacked in his relationships with the matron and Sandaime. Jinjiro had always made a point of getting the boy a useful gift when his birthday came or if there was a special holiday, he even made sure that Naruto always felt needed, dismissing the boy's feelings of loneliness.

However, Naruto sometimes felt that his great-grandfather wasn't actually seeing him when the old man looked at him. Often Naruto felt that Jinjiro was looking at and talking to someone else, perhaps from the past. This was a feeling that Naruto couldn't get over and often made him think to how the matron and Sandaime had never made him feel that way.

Some of the things that Jinjiro had taught him also bothered the boy. Naruto had learned the philosophy of the Shugorei and respected it greatly. The ideas of 'no retreat, no surrender' struck a primal cord within him as did the tenets of honor, duty, and independence. However, some of the more personal ideas that Jinjiro espoused didn't sit well with Naruto.

Naruto had listened attentively as his hijijisan had spoke about war and conflict. He had even agreed with certain points, but the major difference between teacher and pupil was that Jinjiro saw war and conflict as inevitabilities while Naruto often saw them as circumstantial events. Naruto especially came into conflict with the old man when Jinjiro would rail against the ideas of peace taught by the Sandaime.

The ideas of achieving peaceful relations and maintaining those relations had been only small ideas that Naruto had remembered the old Hokage telling him when he had asked what shinobi were. These ideas were in stark contrast to Jinjiro's own thoughts and often lessons had devolved into arguments when Naruto had tried to defend the Hokage and a philosophy he did not properly know or understand.

These life lessons had made Naruto often question what it was he wanted and what the best way to achieve those wants and desires were. He often felt himself grow confused when part of him wanted to believe one thing and another part wanted to believe the opposite. This confusion often led the boy to grow angry both at himself and the world about him.

However, these small fits of anger were usually quickly tamped down by Naruto due to fear. Part of that fear stemmed from what he had been taught about the history of his clan.

Jinjiro often warned him to be careful as the Shugorei path had a dark side that would cause a fine warrior to turn upon both friend and foe alike in a berserk fury. Few Shugorei survived the touch of madness that would envelop them from giving into a perverse darkness.

At one time in the clan's early history touching the darkness was encouraged as it could grant even greater power to a warrior. It would act as a supercharger for any ability already possessed whether it be the Shikai or the Bankai. The dark power was often thought to be a remnant of the Shinigami himself in each of the Shugorei and had helped the clan rise to a position of superiority.

However, the practice was eliminated just before the Shugorei had helped to form the Empire.

When he had asked why Naruto had been simply told by his great-grandfather that sometimes a person should accept their limitations and work within them. The vague answer hadn't satisfied the curious boy and so Naruto had gone behind the back of Jinjiro and delved into areas of the Shugorei history that had been marked as off limits by the elder warrior. Naruto had spent hours searching only to be horrified in his final discovery.

It seemed that the Shugorei who had gained the now forbidden power eventually lost control and turned to wanton acts of violence and brutality. These men and women became so driven to gain greater power that eventually they turned to ancient blood rituals that would transfer the life and power of individuals at the cost of the victim. The darkened Shugorei had at first used the practice on captured warriors before turning upon allies and eventually upon their own brethren. When the entire body of Clan Shugorei became aware of the matter they had turned upon the corrupted members, killing them all, and then hid away any and all evidence while banning the usage of and any attempts to achieve the corrupting power. 'The Chronicles' only gave a vague history of the occurrence, with none of the details present, in fear that a curious Shugorei would attempt to replicate what had occurred.

After reading the passages Naruto had been so filled with terror that he refused to speak more than a simple 'yes' or 'no' for several days. It wasn't until Jinjiro confronted him, having guessed what the problem was, that the young blond accepted the danger that lay upon the path he had been born to.

The other cause for Naruto's fear stemmed from his realization that he held the Kyuubi no Youko.

When he had been five and first met the demon after following Jinjiro from the dreamscape. He had not fully realized who or what the creature was. Even when he had been told afterwards and the fear that had accumulated from all of the ghost stories and dark night stories told by the older children at the orphanage struck him his young mind still hadn't grasped the seriousness of the danger. It wasn't until he had turned eight that the full impact of realizing that he was the vessel for the Kyuubi hit him.

Naruto and Jinjiro had been traveling near Bear Country when they had been ambushed by a rather large group of bandits. The elder Shugorei had easily dispensed with the majority of the sum, but not before Naruto hit by a wayward spear in the upper part of his back.

The wound have killed most children, but not Naruto. After only a few seconds Naruto had felt a strong burning power erupt from his body. He had felt better than he had ever before and paid little mind to the swirling crimson energy that surrounded him. Instead Naruto had rushed at the startled and frightened bandits that remained, proceeding to use the small claws and fangs that had grown to tear the men apart. He didn't recall what had caused him to end the small rampage, but he did remember later waking up next to a fire with different cloths on and a worried Jinjiro watching over him.

The young blond had cried for hours in both terror and fear when it was explained what had occurred and why it had happened. From that day forward Naruto always worried that he could feel the Fox trying to influence him, especially when he grew angry. As a result Naruto tried to always have a smile on his face and to adopt a humorous, immature nature in the hopes that it would act as a shield against having another Kyuubi outburst.

Focusing himself as he began to clean the dirt and sweat off by vigorously rubbing soap and shampoo onto his body, Naruto began imagine what it would finally be like to have his Zanpakuto. Smiling at the thought of using the weapon to become the strongest shinobi ever the boy set about the task of finishing his bath as he knew he had been lucky that Jinjiro-hijiji had not started hollering about him taking too long.

* * *

While Naruto was off bathing one Shugorei Jinjiro was trying to cook up a proper meal for the two. Tenmei had decided not to stick around longer and had gone to rest within the inner world that was his home inside of Jinjiro leaving the man alone to make dinner. 

The old man grumbled lightly as he had never been much of a cook. Before he had met his wife he had relied upon his little sister Ami or even his cousin Mai to help him fix even the simplest of dishes. It embarrassed him to no end that while he was a master of combat, an elite of the Shugorei, he had been forced to rely upon others whenever he entered the kitchen.

Even now his food could only be termed fair at best and Naruto didn't complain mainly because the boy hadn't experienced enough cooking outside of Jinjiro's own. Despite all of the traveling they did Jinjiro rarely allowed the two to eat at restaurants or food stalls, preferring to buy or hunt his meal down and cook it himself. It was a strange thing and Jinjiro often had to listen to Naruto question him about it considering the elder never enjoyed cooking in the first place. He always gave a vague and uninformative answer because even to his own mind Jinjiro did not know why he did what he did sometimes.

Moving to put some salted and preserved meat into a pot of boiling water along with some wild herbs Jinjiro was suddenly struck with a soul shattering pain in his chest.

Clutching the cloth and flesh that covered his chest the old man ignored the ingredients that he had just dropped on the floor as his mind raced and he tried to divert chakra into the pained area in an attempt to alleviate the problem.

"_No! Not now,"_ the old Shugorei thought furiously as the pain and crushing sensation refused to dissipate. _"I can't go out this way! I have too much left to do…Naruto!"_

Pushing even more chakra to his heart, which seemed to be the source of the pain, Jinjiro finally felt his efforts being rewarded as the pain ceased and he was able to breathe without flinching again.

Grasping the countertop to steady himself the old warrior concentrated on breathing and regulating the flow of chakra so as to make sure he would not relapse. Yet as he stood there his mind was invaded by a concerned voice.

"_**That's the third one in less than a year,"**_ Tenmei chided worriedly. _**"You are pushing yourself too hard. You are not the young man you once were."**_

Jinjiro felt himself silently nodding in agreement to the words of his Zanpakuto. At his peak he would have easily been considered to be on par with any of the Kages of the five great shinobi nations, but those days were long since past. When he had met with the Sandaime Hokage only six years ago he had realized how much he was beginning to decline.

He had bluffed a great deal of his position using bluster and his reputation. If the Sandaime had called that bluff Jinjiro was certain that he would have been able to hold his own against the man by using his fully powered Bankai, but the elite jounin and other shinobi that would have come to the aid of the old Hokage would have overwhelmed him. His ability to maintain the enormous power of his Bankai had been failing and at that point he would have only been able to hold it for maybe an hour at the most, now that time was at the best halved. Even his regular skills were turning to waste before his eyes.

When he had used the Kyogi no Tama to get into Konoha he had to use nearly as much chakra to fool the guards as he had when he had first learned the jutsu when he was only eleven and then he was simply trying to fool a single person. His use of Shunpo had also fallen as he needed more chakra and even then he still wasn't getting as far as he used to. Using the other Shugorei jutsu in teaching Naruto taxed him a little more each day, sooner or later it would come to a point where he would actually have to worry about having chakra exhaustion considering how he needed to put the boy through his paces every time they sparred. No, things were definitely going down hill for him now that he was close to the age of eighty-four.

"_Gods how I hate getting old,"_ he sullenly thought as he became satisfied that he had fought off the debilitating heart attack.

"_**It is the way of all things,"**_ Tenmei stated simply. _**"You have taught that to many a student and to Naruto most recently."**_

"_Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like it,"_ Jinjiro fired back half-heartedly knowing that he had just been cheating his inevitable end.

"_**You accept it yet you will not inform the boy,"**_ the spirit mused. _**"I would have thought you of all people would want to make sure the Naruto will be taken care of."**_

"_I haven't told him because he doesn't need to know yet,"_ the Shugorei Lord quickly thought back while moving to retrieve the dinner items he had dropped. _"If I tell him he will only worry and not focus upon his training."_

"_**He has come a long way since you took him those few years ago,"**_ replied the vaporous specter. _**"He already worries for you and I dare say he could handle knowing; better than coming in to find you…."**_

"_Enough!"_ the elderly Shugorei exclaimed silently, cutting off his companion's final words. _"He isn't ready I…."_

"Hey! Hijiji the bath is already for you I…," Naruto loudly stated while walking into the small stone kitchen area in clean cloths, cutting off Jinjiro's inner argument. "Aw man you dropped the food. This means I have to clean everything again before we can cook it."

Seeing the sudden pout on Naruto's face as the boy spied the fallen ingredients to the stew that he had been hoping to cook, Jinjiro immediately banished the dour thoughts that had invaded his mind.

"Nonsense, they are all going into boiling water anyways so there is no need…," he began before being stopped again.

"No! The last time you did that I was picking gravel from my teeth for the next few days," the young whiskered boy stated solemnly. "I guess I will have to take over here while you go and bathe. One would think you did this on purpose if they didn't know you had such clumsiness about the kitchen."

Feeling his right eye begin to twitch the old man retorted, "You can't complain too much as you aren't a culinary artist either."

"That's only because I have you to study under in that area," Naruto joked as he gathered the different items from the floor and his great-grandfather's hands in order to take them to be washed again.

"Then I will let you show me what you can do 'O wise one'," Jinjiro joked right back before turning to exit the small kitchen.

"_**Well that was interesting,"**_ a bemused Tenmei chirped inside Jinjiro's mind.

"_Don't you start again," _the man warned as he entered the bath area to find the water drawn for him and a fresh set of clothing set out.

"_**See that, Naruto took the time to prepare things for you and yet you doubt him,"**_ the Zanpakuto scolded.

Settling into the warm water Jinjiro quietly thought on all that had occurred both recently and since he had been exiled. There was still so much he felt he needed to teach the young boy, yet as Tenmei insisted on pointing out little time was remaining.

"_You're right Tenmei,"_ the old Shugorei thought quietly. _"Naruto needs to be prepared and I just don't have the time to continue."_

Sighing quietly since the nosy Zanpakuto for once was silent, Jinjiro continued his thoughts, _"I need some way to test the boy and make sure he is ready to learn the rest. I will have to think upon this more."_

With those last thoughts Jinjiro began upon the task of cleaning himself and then preparing for dinner.

* * *

It had been three days since he had last sparred with Jinjiro-hijiji and Naruto was currently working his way through many of the different skills he had been taught. Any day that Jinjiro didn't specify what training would be done Naruto would go through the routine that the two had developed for him to practice on his own. It was only about an hour and a half after dawn so that meant that it was time for body training and Taijutsu practice. 

Naruto was breathing hard as he had just finished his run and musculature training, a five mile run started the process and was accompanied by a regime of pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups, squats, and stretches after the run was concluded. Now he was moving into practicing the Taijutsu style that had been created by the Shugorei over centuries of trial and error.

The Shugorei style of Taijutsu was divided into two areas that could be incorporated into one another given the circumstances that the user was faced with. The first area was called Kogunfunto, meaning 'fighting alone', while the second was called Tensen, meaning 'fighting in numerous battles'. Both areas had similar moves that called for the user to utilize nearly every part of the body in striking the opponent, but that was not what caused the style to differ from other Taijutsu arts like the Gouken Ryuu and the Juuken Ryuu. The major difference was that both areas concentrated upon the use of grapples to throw, choke, and simply break an opponent.

Breaking down the fighting style was important as each area was tailored to specific conditions. The first area, Kogunfunto, was designed to primarily deal with a single opponent, though a highly skilled Shugorei Taijutsu specialist could use it to deal with up to four opponents depending upon the skill level of those opponents. The second area, Tensen, was geared more towards the dealing with groups of opponents by switching from heavy grapples and strikes to quicker more precise ones that would wear down opponents to a point where they could be easily picked apart. Both areas were designed so that the user could defeat an opponent through the proper application of strength and leverage regardless of that user's size or age. The few strikes that existed had been refined to use any part of the body to cause the maximum amount of damage with only using the most minimal amount of energy.

Naruto remembered the lecture he had gotten before beginning to learn the style when he turned six. Jinjiro had been insistent that it be understood that the style had been designed with the purpose of crippling, maiming, and/or killing your opponent or opponents. Sparring was alright so long as Naruto kept his mind focused on what he was doing, but going on instinct would be dangerous as the style was meant for full combat and not friendly matches.

To this end Naruto created a reinforced Kage Bunshin to spar against. Since the clone would poof away after having taken too much damage Naruto did not have to worry about seriously injuring a training partner.

Eyeing the clone, Naruto settled into a forward stance, turning his body sideways with his right leg in font and inline with his right shoulder as his left leg moved back and aligned with the left shoulder. His right arm moved to guard the right side of his body that was exposed while placing the right hand in an open guard below his chin. The left arm moved to bring the left forearm and hand to wait in front of his chest in order to guard or strike if necessary. The clone moved into a similar stance while waiting to see who would make the first move.

Inching closer to his opponent Naruto suddenly lashed out with his arms driving forward to knock away the blocking hands of the clone. Grabbing the clone by the back of the neck Naruto used the leverage to swing his right knee up as he brought the clone's head down.

The resulting strike by Naruto's knee impacted hard into the clone's chest before sliding up and hitting the figure's chin. However, the damage was not over for as Naruto brought his right knee down he shifted his weight to look back over his left as he launched the clone over his shoulders in a throw that brought the clone to land hard at his feet. Capitalizing on the how the two moves had stunned his opponent Naruto dropped down on his knees to smash said opponent fully in the face with both knees. The resulting impact hit hard enough to pop the clone out of existence as it would now have had its head broke inwards slightly.

Naruto quickly picked himself up as he formed three more clones to test his group skills. The clones did not even bother to wait this time for stances to be taken as they charged in shortly after coming into existence.

The first clone launched a quick right jab towards Naruto's face which said boy dodged. Watching the blow slide just past his nose Naruto brought his hands up to grab and twist the offending appendage. Locking the arm at the shoulder Naruto used the clone as a blocker for the third clone as the second came charging at his back.

Still holding the first clone in a lock Naruto kicked backwards with a strong mule kick to catch the charging clone just below the sternum.

Not taking the time to watch that clone crumple to the ground clutching at its chest and gasping for air, Naruto gave a quick pull and blow to the shoulder of the clone he was holding so as to dislocate the right arm at the shoulder joint before swinging the figure way in a throw before moving to deal with the third clone.

Knowing that the two clones he had just injured were far from completely disabled Naruto ignored his instincts and went bodily after his third clone. Locking up with that clone in a tangle of arms Naruto tried to launch a couple of shots upwards with is knees only to be blocked by similar moves from his clone. Seeing the futility of continuing the action Naruto attempted to gain some leverage to throw but found himself being launched head over heels.

Landing with a mighty thump he barely had time to roll away before a descending knee tried to smash his head in just like he had done to the clone he summoned earlier.

Rolling to his feet Naruto suddenly felt his arms being pulled back as the second clone locked him in a full nelson. Struggling to break free Naruto failed to notice the third clone and the first, with its right arm hanging limp, advancing upon him to deliver two spinning back kicks to his abdomen.

Doubling over and puking a mixture of stomach acid and the remains of last night's dinner, Naruto was suddenly assaulted by vicious kicks from all three clones before they poofed from existence as a beam of light and electricity pierced their heads. Turning his head to eye the source of the beam Naruto found a stern Jinjiro standing at the edge of the clearing.

Sighing as he moved to a sitting position to clutch his now bruised ribs Naruto knew he was in for a lecture and looked downwards so as to miss the stern mask that was on his hijiji's face.

"You are right to look away in shame," the old man began sternly. "You have learned much about our style of Taijutsu, but are reckless and often focus too much upon a single foe. This leaves you open to attack from those you think you have defeated."

Feeling the gaze of the elder Shugorei rest heavily upon him Naruto listened as his shortcomings were brought forward into the harsh light.

"You dealt well with your first clone when it was simply a single opponent," Jinjiro continued. "However, you let yourself grow overconfident and were not mindful of your surroundings thus allowing yourself to be defeated. You…."

"I could easily have used Kawarimi to escape!" Naruto protested cutting off the reprimand and looking his hijiji in the eye.

Sighing Jinjiro moved closer to his great-grandchild, "You could have, but you were supposed to be practicing your Taijutsu so the use of Ninjutsu was forbidden. What if you were in a situation where you could barely access you chakra, hmmm? Taijutsu would be your main weapon of both defense and offense as an enemy will not simply sit by idly for you to prepare for them if they sense that you are vulnerable."

Looking away Naruto understood the nature of what was said and realized that as usual his impatience and overconfidence had lead him to defeat when he could have been victorious.

"Why can't you teach me more Kenjutsu then so I don't have to rely upon Taijutsu as much?" the blond questioned as he rose from were he was sitting.

"You already know the answer to that question so why bother asking it again?" Jinjiro questioned rhetorically.

Naruto cringed as his mind swam with the previous answers to his question. Jinjiro had been adamant that Naruto not rely upon Kenjutsu despite the Shugorei tradition of using a blade and later a Zanpakuto.

The logic was that a Shugorei could lose their weapon temporarily, as once a Zanpakuto was formed the member who formed it could call the weapon back over any distance given that the member settled into a meditative trance to basically reform the Zanpakuto. Losing the weapon could mean everything from having it stolen to having it broken in battle, though this was rare and often explained as a loss of connection between the user and their inner soul that formed the Zanpakuto, However, losing your weapon would leave even the beat Kenjutsu master vulnerable to attack so having a strong base in Taijutsu and other skills was wise.

Another reason existed that was solely to that of the Shugorei, when released into the Shikai or Bankai form the Zanpakuto might not necessarily take on the form of a sword anymore.

Many examples existed in the clan history of those Shugorei who had unlocked their Shikai to find that their swords became spears, axes, and even stranger devices. To this end the Kenjutsu that the Shugorei used wasn't too specified. Granted that the style when fully mastered did allow a member to engage other Kenjutsu masters without worry, the style lacked the many different attacks, some utilizing chakra and others not, that made many specialized Kenjutsu styles so deadly.

"I understand Jinjiro-hijiji, I will strive to correct my flaws," Naruto responded sullenly.

Seeing the old man nod in approval Naruto decided that now would be a good time to once again question the Shikai nature of Zanpakutos, "What will I do if my Zanpakuto does not turn out to be a sword once I unlock its abilities?"

"Oh, such a good question after you have been so foolish," the elder Shugorei quipped with a smirk.

Watching Jinjiro move over to a stump to sit down Naruto became slightly worried as the old man had seemed to have difficulties over the last year or so. Naruto knew that Jinjiro was hiding the extent of how bad those difficulties may be, but concluded that if he hadn't been told then it couldn't be too bad. It was probably the symptoms of growing old as hijiji was very old.

Grunting slightly as he settled himself on the stump Jinjiro leaned forward, holding Tenmei in a way that one would hold a cane, before answering.

"Many are those who have had similar questions to you," the elder Shugorei began. "When the time comes you should seek wisdom in the writings of 'The Chronicles' as many of our brethren have detailed how they handled their own Shikais and even their Bankais when it was revealed that they no longer had use of a sword."

Naruto nodded, but suddenly grew worried when Jinjiro let loose with a heavy, wet cough. Moving forward incase he had to give assistance Naruto was waved away by his elder.

"I am fine," the old man stated as a few less intense coughs racked him. "It was just some of the morning porridge that got stuck in my throat."

While he accepted the answer Naruto had a nagging suspicion that the coughing fit was linked to something else, but knowing that he couldn't hope to get a true answer he let it pass for now.

His coughing having subsided Jinjiro continued to answer Naruto's question, "You need not worry yourself so much about what new skills you may have to learn once you reach Shikai or even when you reach Bankai."

Pride swelled in Naruto's heart that his great-grandfather would dare suggest that he could one day achieve the mark of an elite Shugorei. From clan history few had been able to achieve the level since Jinjiro's own generation had passed. If the old man was confident that he could unlock that level of power Naruto would do everything to make sure he did not misplace that faith.

"Remember that once you achieve those levels your Zanpakuto's soul will help to instruct you in how it can be used…," Jinjiro continued before being cut off.

"**Yeah, this dope would never have known how to use me if I hadn't meticulously told him how,"** Tenmei suddenly chirped though he did not seem to form in front of the two. **"It was funny to watch him struggle even though I would give him clear instructions."**

"Quiet you!" Jinjiro shouted out loud. "Your directions and instructions were so vague and imprecise that I nearly cooked all the hair from my head when I first tried to utilize one of your attacks."

"**Oh yeah blame the weapon for the deficiencies of the wielder, real original,"** Tenmei joked before going silent once again.

Seeing Jinjiro's eye twitching Naruto knew that some of the words that Tenmei had said hit closer to the truth of the matter than the old man would willingly admit. He decided quickly that questioning what had happened probably wasn't in his best interest. Instead Naruto decided that it might be better to steer the conversation elsewhere but was beaten by Jinjiro piping up again.

"While I disagree with Tenmei on how things occurred he acts as a perfect example of needing to learn new skills to effectively wield a released Zanpakuto," the elder Shugorei began to explain. "I do not just mean learning his chakra based attacks, but rather how to actually physically wield him.

Naruto moved to sit on a large rock near the stump causing Jinjiro to pause in his explanation.

"While Tenmei is still a sword he is a different type than what many shinobi are used to seeing and handling," the Lord of the Shugorei stated firmly.

Nodding while looking towards his own katana which resided over his right shoulder, Naruto acknowledged those words as the single, slightly curved blade was a standard of the shinobi world while the broad, double-bladed form of Tenmei was radically different in comparison.

"Because of the physical differences certain Kenjutsu moves that I and consequently you have learned are worthless when handling Tenmei," Jinjiro continued in his explanation upon seeing Naruto's look of understanding. "Using Tenmei in physical combat made me rethink much of the original Kenjutsu practiced by the our clan, if not for writings in 'The Chronicles' and Tenmei's own teachings I doubt I would have been able to successfully learn how to handle the released blade."

Knowing that he may have to someday undergo a similar or even more radical learning period, Naruto nodded before speaking, "I think I understand now hijiji."

Catching the returning nod Naruto decided that now would be a perfect time to ask another question that had been nagging in his mind since seeing the old man enter the clearing.

"Why are you here hijiji?" Naruto questioned. "Usually you do not come to the clearing until it is time for me to practice Ninjutsu and Genjutsu which is after lunch since the morning is taken up with physical training, Taijutsu, Kenjutsu, and then meditation right before lunch."

Seeing the old man sigh Naruto suddenly felt a great sense of dread form in his stomach.

"I have decided that you need to be tested Naruto," Jinjiro stated solemnly. "You have reached a point in your training where I need to see if you are ready for the next level or not."

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly as he jumped off the rock he had been sitting upon. "So what's the test? Do we get to spar again? Do I have to master a new technique? Do I…."

Naruto's questions were cut off as Jinjiro coughed loudly to get the attention of the overly excited blond.

"I have decided that you will be undertaking a little mission for me," he continued as Naruto came to a stop and focused on what would be said next. "You are going to take with you a few scrolls that I have prepared and journey to the Modoroki and Todoroki Shrines to collect a sacred artifact that represents each temple. The trip should take you just under five days if you hurry so five days will be your time limit. You are to return here no latter than sunset of the fifth day and you are not to look at the scrolls I give you until you return."

Naruto listened intently and his anticipation grew as more details were revealed. He nodded eagerly in acceptance of the mission before asking, "When do I begin?"

Looking at his great-grandchild, his last connection to his precious Kushina-hime, Shugorei Jinjiro intoned somberly, "Take the rest of the morning to prepare, enjoy lunch, and then you may begin your journey before the afternoon gets away from you."

* * *

Naruto was currently moving at full speed across O'uzu Island. He had already used up two days and was planning to use the current day to reach the Modoroki shrine before resting and using the last two days to get back home. 

He had left from Degarashi Port which had been more difficult than he had imagined as the city was in the midst of gang conflict. It seemed as if the local yakuza families, the Wagarashi and Wasabi, were vying for control of the city even though a deal had been struck to settle the issue of control every year by using the Todoroki Shrine Race. The race reversed the path that Naruto was currently on as he had gone to the Todoroki Shrine first instead of the Modoroki Shrine.

The simmering conflict in Degarashi Port had cost Naruto an entire day as he had to search hard to find a ship that could take him to the either Nagi or O'uzu Island. He had finally found a trader willing to take him to O'uzu Island even though the man had wanted double the cost of what it normally would have been to travel across the gulf between the mainland of Tea Country and the islands it claimed control of.

Things would have been easier if Naruto had been able to use the Kyogi no Tama on a few of the boat owners and pilots, but he had been hesitant to use the Genjutsu technique. His main concern was that he didn't yet have the control to use the technique surgically and could have possibly harmed whomever he attempted to use it on, that is if the technique didn't simply fail. It was just another thing he had to practice, though it was difficult as Jinjiro was the only person around most of the time to practice upon and the old man had mental defenses that were just far too powerful.

Having lost one day finding transport Naruto had used up the second day actually getting to O'uzu Island, traveling to the Todoroki Shrine, and finally convincing the abbot of the temple to give him the required orb like artifact. Things had been somewhat complicated as Naruto had felt uneasy standing upon the holy site. He silently contributed his uneasy feeling to the fact that he housed a powerful demon like the Kyuubi.

The abbot had also been less then cooperative as he had, upon learning that Naruto was Shugorei, required the performance of a small task. Naruto had spent precious time running a few errands into the village near the shrine, but it had paid off when the abbot handed over the small sphere.

Now moving at a steady pace, using Shunpo hear and there to make up for lost time, Naruto saw his next goal of Nagi Island come into view as he approached a small wood and rope bridge. Using Shunpo to quickly cross the gap Naruto landed upon Nagi Island and began running to get to the Modoroki Shrine.

He planned to get there, do any task that was required to get the sphere, and then head to a small fishing village just north of Degarashi Port. A member of the crew on the trader's ship had let it slip that many of the vessels between the mainland and the islands were stopping at small villages near the main port to load and unload smaller cargo do to it costing less with the problems in Degarashi Port. With that little tidbit of info Naruto planned to cut his travel time as it would be quicker to avoid the main port.

Continuing to move forward Naruto let his thoughts fall to the other aspects of training that he would need to undertake once he returned and Jinjiro found him to be competent enough to move to the next level of training. Currently his best jutsu skills were the basic skills of Kawarimi and Henge. He had even gone so far as to make a version of Henge that transformed him into a sexy young woman that he had termed Oiroke no Jutsu.

Originally designing the technique because he was curious about the magazines and books he saw many men reading and giggling over while a trickle of blood came from their nose, Naruto had found that the technique was useful in knocking out these perverted individuals. Of course hijiji hadn't been too happy upon learning of the technique's development, actually Jinjiro had been royally pissed as he told Naruto that such a technique was shameful and unbefitting someone from Clan Shugorei. However, Naruto had kept the technique and slowly refined it as it allowed him to subsequently punish perverts and alert the nice ladies, that often said he was cute, to the presence of lecherous individuals.

Following behind those basic jutsus were the Shugorei jutsus of Shunpo, Shakkahou, and Byakurai with the Kage Bunshin skill being his only Kinjutsu. The skills, Naruto reluctantly admitted, were still not fully mastered as he needed more chakra than normal to get the required results. Despite this he had slowly, but surely gained on the skills as his chakra control improved with every new control exercise, though he was still hoping that Jinjiro-hijiji would teach him that cool water walking control technique like he had promised all those years ago.

By far Naruto's weakest jutsu skills lay in his ability to use the Kyogi no Tama, the Soukatsui, and sealing techniques. His difficulty in using the Kyogi no Tama was reflected in the fact that it was the only Genjutsu Naruto currently knew despite many others existing within the Shugorei arsenal. Naruto admitted that while he had made significant progress in the use of the Soukatsui it was still far from perfect. The massively destructive technique still required him to take an inordinate amount of time to prepare as his control was just not good enough yet as he had enough chakra to perform the technique numerous times but not enough control to form it as quickly as was required for a battlefield situation. To compensate Naruto had started using the technique in conjunction with Kage Bunshin to corner or distract an opponent long enough for the Soukatsui to be used effectively. As for sealing techniques Naruto could only hang his head and sigh.

While he did have the ability to quickly break a jutsu down so that he had to use only a few handseals or only a single one handed seal with some of his better jutsu, Naruto still had considerable difficulty when it came to trying to seal things into scrolls like Jinjiro often demonstrated. While the skill had been one of the first taught to him once he demonstrated the needed chakra control it was his own impatience that hampered him. Naruto admitted that he just didn't have the patience sometimes to write out the complex seal matrixes required to seal an item into a paper scroll. While he could do it the process took far longer than necessary and the only benefit that Naruto often received was that he didn't have to carry as much or as heavy an object. Also, the time that he spent writing did allow him the time needed to think about what it was he planned to do, which always was a plus that his hijiji tried desperately to drill into his head.

Breaking from his thoughts Naruto refocused his mind on his current task and sped onwards across Nagi Island.

* * *

It was just about midmorning on the fifth day and Shugorei Jinjiro was fully expecting to see Naruto arrive at their small home sometime around mid-afternoon. The crafty old man had included in one of the scrolls he had given to Naruto a tracking jutsu. This allowed him to keep track of the young, whiskered blond and the progress that was made. 

Naruto had achieved part of the goals set forth in the test as he had gotten the holy artifact from both temples. Now the boy was resting aboard a small fishing boat as it moved into an inlet near a small fishing village.

Jinjiro was glad to see that Naruto had demonstrated the skills necessary to progress this far. The boy had earned the artifacts rather than demanding them or simply taking them as Jinjiro hadn't specified how each was to be collected. He was also proud of the way Naruto had demonstrated proper information gathering skills by first finding transport to the islands and then and even better transport back to the mainland, the fact that the boy didn't seem to lack social skills spoke volumes as too often the only person he had any interaction at all with was Jinjiro himself, though Tenmei counted in a way.

The tracking jutsu had proved an ample blessing as Jinjiro had been worried he would lose track of Naruto. The bond that had been created those six years ago when Jinjiro had first entered Naruto's mind was starting to weaken as the elder Shugorei began to grow weaker.

The bond wouldn't have lasted even this long if they both hadn't been Shugorei. Since the two had connections both on the level of the genetic and spiritual Jinjiro had been able to enter the boy's mind far easier than it would have been if he had attempted the same with a non-Shugorei. Thankfully the tracking jutsu had reinforced the failing bond and Jinjiro made a note that when Naruto returned he would have to introduce the boy to the Shugorei skills that would expand upon the Kyogi no Tama and traits gained from the Yamanaka.

"_Damn how I hate getting old,"_ Jinjiro thought crossly as he chalked another skill up that he had been losing control of more and more lately.

Going through his own morning rituals of dressing and then preparing a thick porridge for breakfast, the old Shugorei Lord felt himself growing melancholy as his mind focused on the idea of being as old as he was. In a way he had become part of a select few.

At the age of nearly eighty-four he had achieved what was considered a wonder to many in this day and age. Few people ever reached the age he was at now; even fewer of those people were shinobi or former shinobi.

Most shinobi didn't even make it to the age of thirty-five and those who did either had never been in real combat, thus they really couldn't be called shinobi, or the lucky individuals were considered to be elites. However, being an elite meant your chances of survival would drop even more as often times everyone and their mother wanted a piece of you.

His thoughts wandered to how he couldn't even count the number of punks and wannabees that had seemed to come out of the woodwork to challenge him back before he had turned to being more reclusive, back before his exile. He had dealt with them all in turn and sent every last one to meet his or her maker, as each had foolishly thought they could make a reputation by taking him on. Killing them all hadn't been because he was bloodthirsty and psychotic. No, eliminating them had been an act of self-preservation.

The facts stood that elite shinobi, such as himself in his prime, rarely died at the hands of other elites. Rather elite shinobi often got taken down by some low to mid-level ninja or kunoichi who got lucky and just happened to get in the right position at the right time. It seemed to be one of the few constants in all the conflicts he had ever witnessed, that didn't mean that there weren't exceptions only that those exceptions were damn rare.

The thoughts of having taken so many lives caused him to pause as he cleaned up his dishes and tidied the kitchen. Too often these days he almost felt feelings of regret and remorse for what he had done in the service of his clan and the village that they called home.

Shaking his head in an effort to clear away the troubling thoughts, Jinjiro moved out of the small kitchen and the cave entirely to take in the day.

"_I really need to stop thinking so much upon things that I know I can't change,"_ the old man mused as he walked to the small clearing he and Naruto often used for training.

Moving to the stump that he often sat on when observing and directing Naruto's training he felt a new twinge of guilt creep into his mind. This one wasn't in regards to those he had killed but rather it dealt with how he had been teaching Naruto.

Ever since he had taken the boy in those six years ago he had concentrated solely upon training the young blond to be an example of what it meant to be the best the Shugorei had to offer, just as he had been taught and how he had taught other Shugorei. He had taught Naruto their creed of combat which stated 'no retreat, no surrender' and 'kill or break your opponent as the broken and the dead can no longer hope to harm you'. At the same time he had taught the boy about honor and duty, which were cornerstones to the Shugorei philosophy.

It wasn't these points that his guilt sprouted from; no it was something else.

Deciding to meditate on the problem Jinjiro sat down on the small stump and began to focus himself. After a few moments he found where he had been mistaken. While he had glorified the way of the Shugorei and molded Naruto to love and honor his mother and her heritage, he had severely neglected Naruto in area of the boy's father and his heritage. His anger towards Minato and his line had colored the way he had taught Naruto.

Naruto viewed his own father in the similar light that Jinjiro himself held. To Naruto his paternal heritage was a disgrace that was best covered up by exposing the virtues of his maternal heritage. Minato was seen not as the hardworking genius that he had been praised for but rather as a man that had stolen ideas to make his own and as a man that had sealed the greatest bijuu into an innocent babe. Being of direct descent from the Nidaime through his father, Naruto viewed the entire line as being second-rate in nearly everything.

This sudden epiphany caused Shugorei Jinjiro to realize that he had almost recreated Naruto in his own image instead of letting the boy become his own person. Sure Naruto did rebel from time to time on certain points of philosophy, but for the most part the young, whiskered boy would quote Jinjiro's teachings verbatim. This had caused Naruto to start to develop some of the traits and qualities that many people, including Jinjiro himself, often found the most repugnant about the elder Shugorei.

Now worrying that he may have accidentally infected his great-grandchild with his own anger, pain, and hate the elderly Shugorei Lord resolved that he would correct this mistake once Naruto returned later. However, his thoughts were broken when he suddenly realized that he was no longer alone as a rather large and unknown chakra signature was advancing upon the clearing.

Rising to his feet and resting his hand on the hilt of Tenmei, which rested comfortably at his left hip, he waited for whoever had decided to interrupt his day to appear. It wasn't the first time that someone had come across his out of the way home, but those people had often been lost civilians, the rather noticeable chakra signature of this individual immediately ruled out that being the case again.

"_No definitely not a civilian,"_ the experienced Shugorei mentally noted. _"The chakra is much too defined. Could Sarutobi have sent someone to check up on us?"_

That last thought caused Jinjiro to think hard for a moment, _"I know I didn't tell that old monkey where I would be going, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been looking for me again."_

However, the old man dismissed that notion as the Hokage would never have sent a lone operative. The Sandaime would have erred on the side of caution and sent at least a group of three. Before he could contemplate other theories Jinjiro noted that the trespasser had stopped well inside the tree line that surrounded the clearing.

Narrowing his eyes he called out, "I am well aware that you are here, so you might as well come out now and save yourself some trouble!"

A figure soon emerged from the woods, yet that did not help him to identify the individual as the person wore a heavy cloak that obscured any features.

"Who are you and what do you want?" the Shugorei Lord questioned. "You aren't just some lost traveler so your answer better satisfy me or your head will not remain long enough to try again."

The figure let a low chuckle echo from amidst its shadowed hood before speaking, "It seems my master was right about you Shugorei Jinjiro, you waste little time on pleasantries."

The low rumbling voice of the interloper clearly identified him as a male, most likely in his late twenties.

Using his thumb to loosen Tenmei from his sheathe the wary Jinjiro coldly responded, "You are trying what little patience I have so I would suggest you answer my questions now or suffer the consequences."

"So violent and here I thought that you wouldn't want your granddaughter's child to be exposed to such unpleasantness," the enigmatic man stated quietly.

Feeling a surge of fear for Naruto well up within himself Jinjiro drew Tenmei fully and settled into a ready stance with the blade positioned to quickly attack or defend depending upon what happened next.

"What do you want, answer me!" the angry Jinjiro yelled threateningly.

Chuckling while slowly walking forward into the clearing some more the stranger stopped only a few yards away before answering.

"My master has kept well aware of both you and the boy," the cloaked man began. "You are doing a fine job in training him, but one would have expected him to be a bit farther along considering the beast he holds."

Jinjiro was now bathed in a cold sweat. Whoever this man and his master were they were far too informed to know not only where to find him, but also about his connection to Naruto and the sealed Kyuubi. This was dangerous ground that he now treaded upon, but he needed information and killing the bastard in front of him wouldn't aid that cause.

"Your master is well informed, might I know him?" the old man queried hoping to gain a few strands of intelligence.

"Oh you two have met, in fact my master has sent me here because of the last encounter the two of you had," the mysterious figure stated cryptically.

Going through his mind of everyone he had ever met looking for an ID the Shugorei Lord realized he needed more clues.

"You'll have to forgive me, but I'm old and my memory is a little hazy," he quipped in the hopes he could get the vague man to revel more.

Laughing lightly the shrouded man answered, "The last time you took something very precious to him."

Jinjiro now racked his mind in the hopes that he could figure out what the figure was talking about, but before he could make any progress his thoughts were interrupted by the low voice of his 'guest'.

"He has instructed me to now take something precious from you," callously remarked the unknown man.

Suddenly worried that Naruto may be heading for a trap Jinjiro prepared to bolt from the clearing and race to where he expected the boy to be, but was halted by the near growling voice of his opponent.

"Worry not about your great-grandson," the dangerous figure barked out as his cloak seemed to suddenly take on a boiling quality as lumps formed and expanded underneath while his chakra began to sharply climb. "I have explicit orders that he is to be left alone, it seems my master has special plans for him in the future. However, you are no longer required and as such not so fortunate."

Moving forward at high speed using Shunpo to accelerate himself, Shugorei Jinjiro did not even wait to hear the last part. Having wordlessly released Tenmei into his Shikai form the Shugorei warrior brought the shimmering blade through a massive overhead chop that would cleave his opponent from stem to stern. However, the blow was stopped well above the interloper's head with a loud clang.

Looking to whatever had stopped his weapon Jinjiro was aghast to see that he had been stopped by the man's left forearm. Or rather what used to be a forearm as the limb had taken on a dark color and distinctive sheen that spoke of hardness akin to diamond.

Using Shunpo to quickly move backwards and avoid a swipe from a blurred right arm, the elderly Shugorei noted that the cloak that had hid his foe had fallen away to reveal something not altogether human.

The man or what had once been a man know looked like some crystallized monster. The hands were merely dark, crystalline talons, two fingers and a thumb at the end of each arm with crystal carapaces extending up from them to the elbow. The upper arms were just masses of oddly blue muscle that ended into shoulders that were sharp, thick crystal spikes. The creature's torso was covered in some sort of dark cloth that was pierced by small thorns of the same dark crystal that covered the hands and shoulders. However, it seemed as if the legs and feet had not been altered, though that was just an assumption as thick leather boots climbed up to the knee of each and only stopped as thick white pants sunk into their tops to hide any change that may have occurred. Yet it was the head of this gem monster that proved to be the most bizarre alteration.

Having the shape of a normal head the blue face was outlined by bright green spikes of crystal that had seemed to replace what had once been a long mane of hair and a thick beard. The nose looked to be squashed into the face as if it had been broken multiple times in the past and sat between two orange eyes. These eyes were disconcerting as it wasn't just the pupil that was orange but rather the entire eye including the iris and whites. The mouth had purple lips that peeled back to reveal obsidian teeth.

To Shugorei Jinjiro this was unlike any sight he had ever seen before and gasped to reveal his shock.

"Quite the picture aren't I?" the man joked as he seemed to rotate his arms to loosen the muscles that controlled them. "We have made our own path to power through the use of things long forbidden and thought inhuman. As you see before you the result transforms us into a being of great power, power enough to destroy even one such as you."

Standing there staring at the abomination before him, Shugorei Jinjiro felt the different pieces of the puzzle he had been trying to solve suddenly come together.

"You're…it can't be, I made sure of it!" the old Shugorei protested. "That information was destroyed along with…."

"Our master's preparations vastly exceeded what you speculated them to be," the creature interjected abruptly adding in a dark and perverse giggle. "I was there when you made your attempt and now stand before you as a spectacular result of your failure. Though I am but one of many in terms of the power bestowed unto us by the master I stand near the top as one of our best."

Jinjiro began to inch backwards as this abomination spoke, all the while thinking, _"Just a little longer, I need to delay just a bit more time so I can end this…thing!"_

Either not noticing the slow movements of the elderly warrior or simply not caring the fiend continued its little speech, "It was my greatest honor to be granted the mission to find and destroy you, the master thought it would be fitting that your end would come at the hands of that which you fought so hard to prevent. It has taken me nearly two years, but I am now only moments from achieving even greater glory once you are slain."

"_That's what you think demon," _the cunning old Shugorei thought as a smile played across his lips for the first time since seeing the horror.

"You are indeed impressive. However you can't ever hope to defeat a true Shugorei with your bastardizations," Jinjiro spat towards his foe as his smile turned to a smirk that showed noting but contempt. "I am one of the elite of the Shugorei, now tremble with fear as I show you what that means."

The creature seemed to take on a confused look until it felt the sudden spike of chakra that seemed to refuse to stop in its growth.

Looking the repugnant being in its orange eyes, Shugorei Jinjiro couldn't help but break into a wide, toothy grin as the conversation had given him the time needed to summon the chakra and the control needed for what hadn't been seen in the world since the other Shugorei elite fell against the might of the Kyuubi no Youko nearly twelve years ago.

Feeling his power reaching the necessary point he solemnly spoke a single word as if he were a judge handing down a death sentence, "Bankai."

With that single utterance the clearing was filled with blinding light as blue chakra tinged with silvery wisps blasted outwards in one massive show of power. For seconds that seemed to stretch on into eternity the display continued before finally the colossal energies seemed to be sucked back in towards the epicenter where the Shugorei Lord had been standing. As light began to fade a sight bordering upon the divine was revealed.

Standing tall and strong, as if the years had been stripped away and he was once again back in his prime, Shugorei Jinjiro appeared. Tenmei was no longer the moderately sized bastard sword that he had been in his Shikai form. Though the Zanpakuto had kept similar colors and designs, it had transformed from a moderately sized bastard sword into a rather large great sword whose blade was traced with golden lines running the length of the fuller. However, that was not the most impressive thing by far.

Jinjiro now stood wearing a breastplate, a set of gauntlets, and a set of greaves that had the same coloring and markings that Tenmei had. Yet, the most impressive addition due to the final release was the addition of a set of large, silvery tendril like wings made completely from chakra that had formed from the back of the breastplate and seemed to pulse with energy.

Looking squarely to the disfigured monstrosity that stood before him with a look of amazement, Jinjiro let his voice take on a nearly pious quality as he spoke, "Mokuzen no Tenmei, my Bankai and your destruction."

Seeing his opponent was not yet able to speak the full powered Shugorei elite added softly, "My control of light is now absolute, prepare yourself as the end shall be before you faster than one is able to see."

Gripping the handle of his massive great sword Jinjiro seemed to rise lightly from the ground to hover nearly half a foot. Raising the weapon in preparation to deal the blow that would end this little game he was halted as the crystal fiend before him began to laugh insanely.

"I had…heard tales…of your power," the dark being barked out between laughs before finally recomposing himself. "I will be granted even more glory for setting forth your departure from this world now that you have revealed your full power."

His gaze hardening as he could not be sure if his foe was either completely insane, totally confident, or some perverse mixture of both. Jinjiro tightened his grip before charging forward while still hovering above the ground.

As the valiant Shugorei charged the darkly colored crystalline intruder stood ready and extended its talons out to either side of its body as if welcoming the attack.

Meeting in one titanic blow the energy released by the two blocked out all sight of what was occurring within the clearing turned war zone.

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**AN:**_Another chapter finished, yay me! Some of you right now are probably screaming silently, or loudly depending upon how much you have come to enjoy the fic, about how this chapter ends in a cliffhanger. Well those are the breaks, but I would at least hope that you have a bit more faith in me considering that for the size of each chapter I am updating tremendously faster than many other authors are. For the relative size and detail of each chapter most other authors take nearly a month to get each one done and posted. I on the other hand have kept it to just about one week between updates. One worries what some of you may do if I actually need to take nearly a month to update in the future; I swear I spoil you all too much. Anyways, I would like to thank all of you that have been reading this story, especially those of you that have been kind enough to leave a review or two. It is very nice to see what some of you think and some of you have helped to point out things that I have striven to improve upon. I am not the type of author that demands reviews and I will never hold this or any other story hostage to get a certain number of reviews before updating. I personally think authors that do such things are not confident enough in their story and their own abilities, but I do understand that it does feel incredibly good to suddenly see that review count climb and to read reviews that offer words of encouragement and express the enjoyment of the story. Enough of my ranting, I better get jumping on writing the next chapter. Hope you enjoy the story and will tune in for the next update._

_Thanks,_  
**Tyrchon**  
-,-

Jutsu Report (Konoha Classified Information)

**Byakurai** – Called 'White Lightning' it is a mid-level Clan Shugorei Ninjutsu that allows the user to gather chakra to the index finger or both the index and middle finger, depending upon mastery of control as a master needs only a the index finger. When fully charged the user will release the chakra as a thin beam of light and electricity that can pierce an opponent or object depending upon the amount of chakra put into it. Like nearly all Shugorei combat jutsu the technique when fully mastered requires only a single one handed seal though beginners must run through seven full handseals when learning the technique. It has been rumored that some Shugorei members are able to master this and other techniques to the extent of not even requiring the single one handed seal.

**Shakkahou** – Called 'Red Flame Gun' it is a low-level Clan Shugorei Ninjutsu that allows the user to gather chakra to the hand in order to launch a burning, red ball of chakra from the palm. The technique is relatively weak, but can be strengthened by adding more chakra, though doing so often causes damage both chakra system of the hand as well as the skin, bones, and muscle if too much chakra is added or if control is not sufficient. Like other Shugorei combat jutsu the technique when mastered only requires a single one handed seal, though rumors abound that some members no longer require even this to use it. An interesting note for the technique is that Clan Shugorei has developed a way to use a low-level version in quick succession in order to avoid the harm that comes from trying to empower the technique to mid-level.

**Soukatsui** – The 'Blue Fireball' is a mid to high-level Clan Shugorei Ninjutsu depending upon the user. Firing from the hands the technique is powerful and appears as a large, bluish-white blast. The power of the attack comes from the sizable amount of chakra required, but even more so the high degree of control that is required. Those just learning the jutsu often are not able to use it in the timely manner that is needed in combat. Due to this fact the jutsu is often used as an artillery technique in conjunction with other shinobi who corral the enemy into a position to be destroyed by the high powered jutsu when the user lacks control. A master of the technique has no such restrictions and is able to wield it at a level of power and speed that is incredibly deadly. Just like the Shakkahou this jutsu can be supercharged for greater destruction, but doing so is highly dangerous as the extra power will throw off the control of the user. This can result in the user blowing themselves up if they are not extremely careful. Like other Shugorei combat jutsu the technique when mastered requires only the use of a single one handed seal. This jutsu, like many Shugorei jutsu, is often rumored to be usable without seals by certain elite level clan members.

**Mokuzen no Tenmei** – Meaning 'Before Your Very Eyes God's Will' this is the Bankai form of Shugorei Jinjiro's Zanpakuto. The bastard sword formed from Shikai is replaced with a great sword that retains the same coloring and ornamentation as well as adding gold tracing that follows the fuller of the blade. Adding to the new weapon Shugorei Jinjiro receives a set of gauntlets and greaves as well as a breastplate that all have the same coloring and ornamentation as his sword. In addition to these pieces of armor large silvery tendril-like wings seem to sprout from the back of the breastplate. These enhancements give Jinjiro immense power, complete control of light, and the ability to levitate himself. The level of Bankai gives its user a boost of power ranging from five to ten times greater than that of the Shikai. Few people have ever witnessed this level of power and fewer still have ever seen Jinjiro's. It is unknown what consequences are had from obtaining and using this level as any and all information regarding such things is heavily sealed by Clan Shugorei.

**Chakra Restraint** – A simple Genjutsu developed to trick the user's body into thinking it weighs more than it actually does. As a result the nerve impulses are slowed and the user finds that their body is more sluggish and unresponsive than normal. The technique is not to be confused with other chakra training techniques that actually alter density of weights to increase strength and endurance training. The user gains little benefit and the main idea behind the use of the jutsu is that it allows a high-level shinobi to train with a considerably weaker shinobi without the worry of accidentally using too much power or force. This jutsu acts mainly as a safety net and can be regulated by the user to increase or decrease the difficulty that their training partner is experiencing.


	5. Chapter 4: Locking up the Sun

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

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_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 4 – Locking up the Sun**_

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Paperwork, a seemingly never ending battle for no matter how many forms he completed more would simply appear to take their place, how he hated the annoyance of it all. The Sandaime Hokage felt as if he wanted to just bang his head repeatedly against his desk. The only thing stopping him was that such an action would disturb all of the scrolls, forms, memos, and notes that he had completed and had yet to complete. It really hadn't been that great of a week for him so far. 

The village council was acting up once again. It seemed that no matter what was going on many of the members were constantly trying to bring up issues that they had no business discussing, the latest of which being the redevelopment of the abandoned area belonging to Clan Uchiha.

Sighing heavily the old man couldn't help but think back to exactly why the area was no abandoned.

Nearly two years ago Clan Uchiha had been slaughtered by one of their own. Uchiha Itachi, prodigy of his clan and captain of the ANBU Main Battle Unit, had for some unknown reason turned upon his fellow clansmen and slaughtered all of them. Well that wasn't entirely true there had been a single survivor.

Uchiha Sasuke had been only ten at the time and had been returning from late practice at the Konoha Shinobi Academy when he had walked in on the massacre. Somehow the boy had made his way to his home only to find the bodies of his parents being stood over by his elder brother, Itachi.

It was unclear even now what exactly had taken place, even after Sasuke had gone through intense sessions of debriefing and counseling. However, what was apparent was that Itachi had somehow unlocked the Mangekyou Sharingan, the ultimate evolution of the Uchiha Doujutsu, and had then proceeded to kill the rest of his clan. Sasuke was spared, but Itachi had used the Tsukuyomi, one of the ultimate techniques of the Mangekyou, to place Sasuke in a state where the young boy was forced to witness the slaughter of his entire clan over and over again.

Since then Uchiha Sasuke had been elevated to the level of heir-designate. As such he had control of all of the assets of Clan Uchiha, but he did not yet hold the Uchiha seat on the village council. That position was currently being held by a council appointed steward that would assist the boy in maintaining the Uchiha property until Sasuke could be designated Lord Uchiha. That wouldn't occur until he at least graduated the Academy and became a genin.

Konoha legal doctrine was quite clear upon the matter. When a person attained the rank of genin they legally became an adult in the eyes of the village law, though certain prescriptions still remained due in part to a few cases of a person obtaining the rank at an age well before maturity could be established, i.e. Hatake Kakashi who became a genin at the age of five and Uchiha Itachi himself who became a genin at the age of seven. If one did not become a genin or other shinobi rank and instead remained a civilian they would fall under the legal provision of the Country of Fire that established the legal term of adult at sixteen years of age. It was all very complicated and Sarutobi was glad that it was written down or else it would have driven him mad some days.

Until either time came to pass the council appointed steward would act as a_locum tenens_ or placeholder on the council, casting votes in the manner prescribed by Uchiha Sasuke. However, it seemed the young Uchiha had little interest in politics and was often times letting the steward have complete autonomy in voting. This had caused a number of difficulties with the most recent being the issue regarding the Uchiha district of the village.

"_I need to sit the boy down and see what the hell is going on,"_ the Hokage reflected. _"If he doesn't start paying attention to what is going on he may very well find himself picked clean by the vultures on the council."_

Getting back to his paperwork the old Hokage let his mind drift to another topic that had been bothering him as of late, this one being much closer to home.

Asuma had ended his tenure with the Twelve Guardians that protected the Fire Daimyo and his immediate family just a little over a year ago. Since returning home to Konoha both father and son had left their relationship in a state best described as neutral.

On the day Naruto had left with Jinjiro the old Sarutobi had gone to the dinner where Asuma would announce his selection as one of the Elite Twelve. He had made it just in time and his wife, Kinomi, had given him a hard look considering he had promised to be there.

The dinner had gone well and the elder Sarutobi had tried to make amends with his son before Asuma left four days later. While they had patched a few things up there still existed small cold areas where neither would admit to any wrong doing, being far too stubborn to be the first to apologize to the other.

After Asuma had left the Sandaime made certain to go out of his way to spend time with Asuka, Kinomi, and little Konohamaru. The results had been well worth the loss of time that could have been devoted to doing a bit more paperwork here or there. Father and daughter had never been closer while grandfather and grandson had developed a small yet strong bond. His relationship with Kinomi had been rekindled and the two did not fight as much as they had during much of their marriage.

However, even after Asuma's return the two of them still couldn't seem to patch everything up. Both had made numerous attempts, but it seemed that no matter what father and son always seemed to end up arguing about something.

Sighing heavily the old man couldn't help but feel sorry for himself as he desperately wanted to be the father that Asuma had always deserved. His thoughts began to move towards the idea that perhaps it was indeed too late and the two would never be able to make amends.

Turning away from his desk the Sandaime looked out of the main window of his office to look upon the village he had given so much to protect and nurture.

The village was currently drenched in a drizzly mist like rain that had settled in earlier during the week. It was the type of weather that marked the beginning of autumn in the nation of Fire. While the trees surrounding the village wouldn't start to change color before dropping their leaves until mid to late-October, the country did experience a surge in rain and fog during the preceding weeks. It seems this year things would begin a bit early.

Pulling out his pipe to enjoy the calming sensation brought on by the sweet tobacco old man let his mind wander as he avoided doing the paperwork that shackled him to his desk.

Last week the Academy had started classes. The eldest class would be preparing during this final year to try for the rank of genin come the spring. The class offered some interesting candidates as many of the members came from some of the most respected and powerful of clans of Konoha. That point made him make a mental note that he really ought to stop in someday soon to see how things were progressing this year.

"_Speaking of progress,"_ the old man thought suddenly. _"I wonder how Naruto is doing. I haven't heard from Jinjiro since they left over six years ago, I probably should send someone out to get in contact with them."_

The old man turned to look at the pictures of the other Hokages that hung upon the far wall of his office. He silently focused on the photo of the only blond.

"_Minato, would you have approved of letting Naruto go?"_ the Sandaime idly wondered. _"Kushina trusted Jinjiro implicitly, but the two of you never got along. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so quick to let them leave, I could have reasoned with Jinjiro some more, perhaps found a better solution."_

Puffing on his pipe the old Hokage turned back to his desk as he had been having this internal argument ever since Naruto had left. Every time he would worry and every time he would decide that it was the only solution that had been viable at the time. That still didn't mean he couldn't feel bad about all of it.

Sighing lightly he thought, _"I really should have sent a group to make contact with them earlier, but all of the work in the village has been distracting me."_

Picking up his pen Sarutobi began to work upon the forms and memos that required his authority.

"_But who would I send that Jinjiro wouldn't simply evade or send back to me in a box or bag?"_ the Sandaime contemplated as he read through a request by the Aburame to let the clan expand their compound so as to make more room for some new hybrid Kikaichu that was in development. _"An even greater problem is who can be trusted to learn of Naruto's Shugorei heritage."_

Affixing his seal of approval to the Aburame request, as the stoic bug users rarely asked for anything and what they did request was often in the best interest of Konoha, the aging Hokage began to run through candidates to send out after Jinjiro and Naruto.

"_Hmm, who to send,"_ the old man contemplated. _"Kakashi would be a good choice as his loyalty is without question, he also needs something more than missions and Icha Icha now that he is no longer serving as an ANBU Captain. Gai would also serve well, but he is too busy with his new genin team."_

Putting down his pen and the new form he had just started glancing over Sarutobi began to devote more of his thoughts to candidate selection.

"_Yuuhi Kurenai is loyal, but she is a fairly new jounin and doesn't have the experience to deal with Jinjiro if things go bad. Anko could hold her own and is loyal enough to be let in on the secret, but she is too busy now after taking over for Kakashi,"_ shuddering lightly the Sandaime turned his thoughts away from the new captain of the ANBU Assassination and Sabotage Division. _"Ibiki falls into the same category as Anko so he's out. Tenzo also has the same problem since taking over the Main Battle Unit. Who else can I trust with this assignment?"_

Having already earmarked Kakashi the aging Sandaime really began to think hard upon whom else could be selected. He hated the idea of sending Kakashi by himself, but few other jounins or special jounins fit the necessary requirements. Sending a team of ANBU would be risky as it could inadvertently leak to the council or to one of Konoha's enemies. Suddenly a flash of inspiration struck the old village leader.

"_It would be risky, but it could help Naruto out a great deal in the long run,"_ he thought as a smirk seemed to play on his face. _"Asuma is strong enough and smart enough to survive Jinjiro if things go bad. Letting him in on the secret could also show that I have more faith in him and hopefully get us out of the situation we are in."_

These thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a wave of doubt that welled up inside the old Hokage.

"_Wait, am I just using this as an excuse to patch things up with Asuma?"_ he questioned sharply. _"I can't guarantee that Asuma will be open to the idea and it may even make things worse."_

Dropping into a melancholy that seemed to arise whenever he thought about the relation he had with his last living son the Sandaime slumped in his chair. His mind was racked with doubt and questions of whether or not he would be doing the right thing by selecting Asuma. However, these thoughts were interrupted when an ANBU member poofed into the office suddenly.

Focusing on the cloaked black ops member Sarutobi took in the dripping water that fell from the operative. Recognizing the cat masked man as one of the ANBU assigned to guard duty he let his warring thoughts slip away as village business and security took precedence.

"Report!" barked the old man fearing that something terrible may have happened. Konoha had been pretty lucky as of late in its missions and was overdue in a sense to suffer a loss.

Straightening from the kneeling position of deference offered to the head of the village the ANBU member stood and began, "Hokage-sama, there is an individual at the southern gate who wishes to speak with you. He refuses to identify himself and from what we can tell is heavily armed. However, before we could take him into custody he presented this.

The Hokage, having fallen into full blown leader mode, looked to the proffered item being held by the black ops specialist for inspection.

It was a small and simple looking scroll which anyone could get nearly anywhere. However, the chakra signature of the scroll immediately caught the attention of the experienced Sandaime as very few scrolls had this particular type of aura.

Taking the scroll and unrolling it carefully his suspicions were confirmed. The scroll was one of only just over a dozen that were issued to allies of Konoha. The purpose of the scroll was to identify the individual carrying it as an ally and allow that individual to draw any type of assistance from a Konoha Shinobi regardless of rank or mission, so long as the assistance was not detrimental to Konoha or its interests.

The ANBU were trained to be watchful of these scrolls as the shinobi who carried them were of vital importance to Konohagakure. Such shinobi included two of the Hokage's own students, Jiraiya and Tsunade, who were at present only loosely associated with the village. The little nondescript scroll kept them safe from the Hunter-nin drawn from all of the Konoha ANBU Divisions.

Rolling the scroll back up and wondering who the bearer was the Hokage issued orders, "Bring the individual who presented the scroll here immediately. They are not to be harmed and are to be afforded every courtesy and respect."

With a crisp and quick 'Hai' as acknowledgement of the orders, the ANBU member immediately poofed away to fulfill said orders.

Quickly straightening his posture as he sat behind his desk the Sandaime put his pipe out and set it down as he did not wish to be rude to whoever was being brought to him. Organizing the papers that had piled up on his desk so as to make a clear space the old man was somewhat surprised when the ANBU member poofed back quickly with another cloaked and dripping figure.

Normally a person who wished to see the Hokage would allow themselves to be led through the village towards the Hokage Tower. It was a courtesy that allowed the hidden shinobi along the way to determine the identity of the individual and whether or not that individual was a potential threat. That this person had used the authority granted within the scroll to immediately come here spoke to the Hokage that whatever the individual wanted must be very important.

Seeing the cloaked individual standing silently Sarutobi took it as an indication that what was to be discussed could not be overheard by anyone else. With a wave of his hand the old Hokage dismissed the ANBU member and then ran through a few handseals so that the office would be shielded with a barrier that would not allow anyone else to intrude or eavesdrop.

Eyeing the cloaked individual the Sandaime realized that he did not recognize the figure before him, but that wasn't that strange as many shinobi liked to travel incognito to avoid trouble. However, what was disturbing was that he couldn't detect the use of a Henge or other masking jutsu.

Deciding that he had best get to the heart of the matter the aging Sandaime broke the silence with a guarded tone, "I have sealed the room so we can talk freely, but I do not recognize you so please remove you hood and tell me where you obtained the scroll you presented at the gate."

The unsaid threat implied by the old man was easily recognizable. If the individual refused or whatever answer was given didn't satisfy the village leader said individual would soon be regretting having come to Konoha.

As rain water continued to drip from the heavy, black cloak the unknown traveler reached a hand up to pull back the hood.

The Sandaime gasped in shock as he recognized the blond hair, blue eyes, and whiskered face that was presented before uttering, "Naruto."

The eleven going on twelve year old boy that stood before him was a major change from the five year old that had left years ago. He had grown taller, though he still wouldn't be considered big for his age. His skin had kept its light tan color, but it could be clearly seen that it had been weathered slightly by time spent training and traveling.

Rising up from behind his desk the old Hokage moved to go around it and grasp the boy he considered another grandson when he was stopped suddenly by a disturbing thought.

"Naruto, where is Jinjiro? Where is your hijiji?" Sarutobi questioned hesitantly only to see tears beginning to form in those pure blue eyes as the old man finally noticed that the wet tracks down the boy's cheeks were far too straight to have been caused by the drizzly rain.

"Hijijisama…Jinjiro-hijiji is…," hiccupping slightly Naruto tried to speak but couldn't seem to say what he wanted.

Slipping his hands from the cloak he wore Naruto presented a small clay urn and a sword that the old Hokage quickly recognized as Tenmei.

"O gods" the grandfatherly Sarutobi said in a stunned whisper before sweeping forward to place the items on his desk and the wrap the young blond into a comforting hug as the tears held back by the boy came pouring out.

Standing there holding the inconsolable child the Sandaime worried, _"What happened out there?"_

* * *

Naruto was moving quickly through the forests of Tea Country. He had made it back to the mainland and the Fishing village far sooner than he had anticipated. It was now just moving to mid-afternoon and if he kept his pace up he would make it to his home and his hijiji soon. 

"_Jinjiro-hijiji will be so surprised that I have made it back with time to spare,"_ the whiskered blond thought excitedly as he dodged around a tree. _"I can't wait for the new training he promised me if I was able to succeed."_

Coming to a halt atop a high cliff that overlooked the area that he and Jinjiro used for training Naruto looked out to find a large plume of smoke rising up in the distance. He was curious as to what the smoke could be from when that curiosity quickly turned to dread at the realization that the base of the plume was far too close to where his home was.

Jumping off the cliff and using chakra to strengthen his legs and muscles Naruto used Shunpo to accelerate and race forward. As he moved through the trees, scrub, and clearings his mind was assaulted by a myriad of thoughts.

"_Why is there so much smoke?"_  
"_Why can't I sense hijiji?"_  
"_What if something happened to him?"_

That last thought caused Naruto to increase his chakra flow and race faster with Shunpo than he had ever done in the past.

"_I knew something was the matter with him before I left,"_ Naruto berated himself. _"I should have confronted him about it and not let it simply slip by."_

Coming to a halt before the entrance to the cave that was his home Naruto's fears increased as he saw part of the entryway had been crushed and small fires were still smoldering in the grass and scrub nearby.

"Hijiji!" he cried out repeatedly as he searched the cave and the surrounding area which looked as if both an earthquake and a massive firestorm had gutted it.

Coming to the small clearing he had often practiced in Naruto spied a figure lying on the ground.

With worry rising up more and more the young Shugorei moved to the body only to be relieved when he found that it didn't belong to the elder Shugorei.

The unknown corpse was a strange spectacle. The body, well what remained, was withered and burned. As if the man had suddenly aged rapidly. The right arm had been completely severed from the shoulder and a hole the size of a fist punctured the chest right where the heart should be. Around the body were small pieces of black crystal that were spider-webbed with cracks.

Turning his focus away from the corpse of the stranger Naruto began to look around what was left of the clearing.

Large, black crystal spikes dotted the desolate landscape, as if someone had been throwing them like massive spears. Small craters with charred edges also dotted the area and not a single blade of grass or small shrub remained. Large pieces of earth had been torn up and several boulders looked like they had been thrown about and smashed into.

Naruto's gaze quickly fell upon a strange shadow near the broken and burned remains of a tree. Moving to investigate the boy felt his worst fears confirmed when he saw the bloody visage of one Shugorei Jinjiro.

The old man's robes were torn and bloody with the upper part completely gone except for a scrap that hung upon his left shoulder. His skin was broken open in many areas as large gashes raced along his chest and arms. A large wound on the upper right portion of his chest wept a strange mixture of blood and blackish oil. In the old Shugorei's right hand were the broken remains of Tenmei.

Dropping to his knees Naruto began to sob bitterly until he heard a sharp rush of breath come from his hijiji.

Shifting his gaze to the face of the Shugorei Lord, Naruto felt his heart leap for joy as grey eyes looked towards him.

"Don't worry hijiji, I'll patch you up and everything will be alright," Naruto stated joyfully as tears ran from his eyes.

"No," rasped Jinjiro quietly, before a series of bloody coughs suddenly struck him. "I have been using what remains of Tenmei's power to stay alive until you arrived. But his strength and my own are fading too quickly."

Reaching forward to hold his great-grandfather, not caring about getting blood or dirt on his clothes, Naruto wept as he begged, "Don't say that, everything is going to be fine. I'll take care of you and everything will be okay."

"I am…proud of…you," Jinjiro coughed out as he brought his left arm up to hold the crying boy. "You are ready…to become stronger…."

"No, don't leave me hijiji," Naruto implored through his tears as he moved to look the man who meant everything in the world to him in the face. "I don't want to be alone again."

Letting out a raspy chuckle as blood bubbled up on his lips Jinjiro cryptically smiled, "You are Shugorei my little Naruto-kun, you are never alone…."

Hearing the statement cut off by a wet cough that brought even more blood up, Naruto pleaded tearfully, "Please…."

He was cut off as Shugorei Jinjiro wheezed out, "I…Love…You."

Hearing the final statement and feeling his hijiji go limp in his arms Naruto realized that the elder Shugorei had succumbed to the great equalizer of all mortals, death.

Grasping Jinjiro's body Naruto let out tearful wails as he mourned the loss the man who had become everything he had hoped for in a family when he was still at the orphanage. Those cries echoed through the silence that seemed to have fallen over the area as if nature itself was offering a moment of respect for the fallen Shugorei.

* * *

"I sheathed what was left of Tenmei and proceeded to build a pyre for hijijisama," Naruto stated sullenly as he sat on a familiar couch next to a concerned Sarutobi. "I followed clan custom and…." 

Looking over at the small, brownish-red clay urn, the Sandaime had no need to ask Naruto to complete what he had been trying to say. The old Hokage was well aware of Shugorei customs, though it must have been incredibly difficult for the boy to cremate the body all by himself.

"I made sure to take samples of the black oil that was in his wounds as well as the crystal that littered the field," the mourning blond stated solemnly as he looked to the Hokage. "I destroyed everything else."

Sarutobi felt part of himself nodding in approval that Naruto had been taught well enough by Jinjiro to recognize the need to gather information even while dealing with personal loss. However, another part of him was sad that a boy as fun loving and innocent as Naruto had experienced such a thing at such a young age while completely alone.

"What of the corpse of the stranger?" the Sandaime questioned as Naruto was beginning to finish his tale.

"I destroyed it as well as I couldn't focus enough to seal it within a scroll," spoke a sad and slightly shamed Naruto.

Seeing the boy blaming himself for that little difficulty Sarutobi quickly reassured him, "You were correct in your actions. Letting that corpse be captured by an enemy may have proven to be detrimental to Konoha. I am proud of you Naruto, just as Jinjiro is."

Seeing the boy perk up slightly the Sandaime moved to the large drawstring bag that Naruto had let drop on the floor in the middle of the office. Opening the bag he was surprised to see a myriad of scrolls within.

Before he could ask what they all were Naruto moved over to the bag and began to speak.

"When I went on my mission Jinjiro-hijiji gave me a number of sealed scrolls," the whiskered boy calmly explained, though a hint of sorrow tinged his voice. "They were several important Shugorei scrolls, each containing even more sealed scrolls of the clan."

Plucking one from the sack the old Hokage silently confirmed this by unrolling the scroll slightly and examining the seal markings.

Shifting through the bag himself, Naruto pulled out another scroll saying, "Some of these also contain all of the things I salvaged from…."

Hearing the boy trail off suddenly Sarutobi realized that the scrolls were very personal and quickly put the one he held back into the bag before pulling the rope that would close it up.

"These belong to you then Naruto," the old man began as he moved over to his desk and quickly summoned an old, but familiar chest.

Reaching into the chest the Sandaime pulled out a moderately sized scroll.

"Before the two of you left Konoha all those years ago, Jinjiro gave me this scroll," the kindly old man said as he offered it to Naruto. "In it are the details that Jinjiro wrote out making you the new Lord of the Shugorei in the event of…."

Trailing off the Hokage decided that stating such a thing would be a little hard on Naruto, but the boy needed to understand what was going to happen now that he was back in Konoha.

"You now control all of the Shugorei assets that exist within Konoha and the Country of Fire," Sarutobi continued while placing a hand upon Naruto's shoulder. "However, you can't take the political seat of the Shugorei on the village council until you become an adult. That means you either need to become a Konoha shinobi or wait until you turn sixteen."

Holding the scroll that held his hijiji's final requests and will, Naruto looked to the Hokage while asking, "How do I become a Konoha Shinobi?"

Smiling slightly as the boy was starting to get over the tragedy that had occurred only a week ago, the Sandaime answered, "You're in luck, there's a class in their final year right now at the Academy. I can pull a couple of strings and have you placed there immediately with graduation as a genin in the spring."

"The Academy!" Naruto exclaimed suddenly. "But I already know the basics of a shinobi, let alone that I have already moved into the Shugorei mid-level techniques!"

Listening to the indignation of the boy, the old Hokage chuckled, "That may be true, but you need to establish yourself within the Konoha system first. That means you need to go through at least a year at the Academy. It will be good for you to meet and train alongside your peers, doing so will help you build lasting bonds that will guide you and help you to grow stronger."

"But, but…," Naruto tried to protest only to be interrupted by a stern Hokage.

"Naruto, there are other ways to become a shinobi of Konoha, but this is the best one for you," Sarutobi stated as he picked up his pipe and began to fill it with fresh tobacco. "All of the other ways are far too noticeable and will have many people asking questions they shouldn't be about you."

"But I am way more advanced then the other kids, I could seriously hurt them or even kill them!" exclaimed Naruto as he tried to convince the old man to let him become a shinobi immediately. "Just like I…."

Hearing the boy's last few words fall to an unintelligible whisper the Sandaime grew worried. Had Jinjiro actually forced Naruto to kill? It was an old Shugorei custom to have young shinobi in training take a life so as to be prepared for what awaited them when they became full members of the shadowed community. However, the practice had fallen out of use in the clan when the Nidaime Hokage had risen to power, though it was still practiced rarely.

"Naruto?" the old Sandaime began to question. "Did your hijiji force you to kill someone when you didn't want to?"

As the words escaped his mouth the old man immediately began to regret them as Naruto speared him with a gaze that was akin to cold, blue fire. Feeling he may have made a mistake, yet at the same time he needed to find out what had happened to the boy the Hokage stood firm waiting for an answer.

Seeing that the issue wouldn't be let go Naruto continued to gaze harshly at the Hokage as he explained what had happened a few years back when he and Jinjiro had been ambushed while traveling. As he finished explaining Naruto saw the Sandaime take on a contemplative pose.

Breaking the pregnant pause that had overtaken the office the Hokage began to speak, "It's understandable that you would be uncomfortable with what happened and that since then you have actually learned skills that are deadly when put to full use I must commend you on your wariness towards injuring a comrade unintentionally. To be entirely truthful I would be more concerned if you were completely fine with what you did and the idea of hurting others in just a simple time of practice."

Sighing as he lit his pipe the Hokage took a few puffs before replying, "However, that brings up something else. You are going to have to conceal your skills and identity as a Shugorei for the time being."

Seeing Naruto getting angry and beginning to launch into loud protests the old Sandaime couldn't help but think, _"I would say that Jinjiro has influenced the boy's temperament except I think Naruto was always this unruly and stubborn, not to mention loud. Actually both of his sires were also known for similar traits."_

"Enough!" the man known as 'The Professor' exclaimed, cutting of the tirades of the angry Shugorei before letting his voice return to a more cordial tone. "You need to understand that I am not trying to deprive you of your heritage or your identity Naruto. However, there are many elements both within Konoha and beyond its walls that would love to use you or kill you for either side of your family tree."

Naruto went silent at this and seemed to glower slightly at the mention of another heritage other than that of the Shugorei.

"_Judging by the look on his face it would seem that you passed more than just a few teachings onto him Jinjiro,"_ the old Hokage thought ruefully as he puffed on his pipe. _"You let your own feelings poison Naruto towards his father and his father's line. I'll have to see about correcting that, but it will have to come later as right now there are more important issues at stake."_

Indicating that Naruto should be seated, Sarutobi waited for the boy to move back to the couch before continuing.

"We have no idea who that stranger was, but it is more than likely that he had a part in Jinjiro's death," continued the old man even though the statement was harsh. "He could have been alone or there could have been others. Jinjiro might not have been the only target, so you need to be protected or else Jinjiro's' death would be in vain."

Seeing Naruto flinch at the last statement the old Hokage moved to sit next to the boy.

"It will just be until I determine if you are strong enough to protect yourself, okay?" questioned the Sandaime while looking to Naruto for confirmation.

Seeing the silent nod from the blond, Sarutobi moved back to his desk while talking, "Good, since many people know you as Uzumaki Naruto that will be what we'll use for you until the time is right. I will see about setting up an apartment for you and…."

"No."

Stopping near his desk the old man turned to the source of the quiet but determined statement that had stopped his outlining of the plans needed to establish Naruto within Konoha.

Locking his gaze with that of the Hokage, Naruto said again, "No."

"No what?" the Sandaime questioned as he was slightly confused by the quiet statements.

Rising to his feet Naruto kept his gaze locked with the Hokage's while speaking, "I'll use the name Uzumaki for the time being, I'll even go to the Academy and disgracefully hide my heritage and skills, but I already have a place to live and don't require an apartment."

Quirking an eyebrow the aging Hokage questioned, "What are you talking about?"

"Since all of the Shugorei assets belong to me I will live at the clan compound," Naruto stated unflinchingly.

"But the compound is in ruins and someone will notice if…," Sarutobi began to remark only to be cutoff once again.

"There is more to the compound then you or anyone else knows," replied Naruto cryptically. "I have no worries about being seen there, besides the compound needs to be rebuilt sooner or later. By living there I will not forget that need."

"I don't think…," the old man began to answer before once again being cutoff.

With the enigmatic smirk of the Shugorei on his face, Naruto calmly continued, "I have a plan that will allow me to maintain my cover while all of this takes place."

Sighing Sarutobi thought tiredly, _"The boy is too much like Jinjiro and the rest of the Shugorei were, he even cuts me off just like they used to do."_

"Very well, what is this plan?" 'The Professor' questioned hesitantly.

Moving towards his bag Naruto began to explain, "It is quite simple, I will use the identity that you have created for the time being. At the same time I will act as Lord Shugorei from the background."

Letting his left eyebrow rise up the Hokage questioned, "And just how do you suppose to pull that off."

Smiling as he fished through the scrolls inside the sack, Naruto continued, "No one but you and I know that hijiji is dead so I will just send orders out under his name."

Letting a frown play across his face the Sandaime calmly protested, "That is fraud Naruto, if you are discovered you could be legally jailed and punished for doing so. Not to mention that you seem to forget that there may be someone behind the attack on Jinjiro. That means we can't be sure we are the only two who know of his death."

"True," Naruto calmly stated as he pulled the scroll he was looking for from his bag. "But, that is a risk that I need to take, besides hijiji never gave that many orders the last couple of years so I will only issue a few. That means there is less likely a chance of being caught."

Leaning back against his desk the Hokage puffed on his pipe while contemplating the plan outlined before him.

"It could work, but it's still a gamble," he stated simply.

"Of course it'll work," smiled Naruto enthusiastically seeming to ignore the concern of the old Hokage. "I'll just send the orders like Jinjiro-hijiji did normally to the clan steward."

Naruto's statement took the old Sandaime back to when Jinjiro had reappeared in Konoha before departing with Naruto shortly afterwards. During that time Jinjiro had inquired about the fate of any servants of the Shugorei and Sarutobi had stated that only one family had remained in Konoha after surviving the night of the Kyuubi attack. At the time he had been worried that Jinjiro might try and harm the family to preserve Shugorei secrets.

Jinjiro had sought out the family while Naruto went to pack at the orphanage. Finding them Jinjiro had approached Ayeka, Oda's still living wife and the matriarch of the family. Apparently Jinjiro had somehow gotten Ayeka to agree to acting as his representative on the village council.

Sarutobi frowned slightly at this as Ayeka had never explained why she had accepted the position as steward. Every time she was asked by him or another the answer given by her was always cryptic and vague. Part of him worried that Jinjiro had used some form of coercion to get her to comply, but that wouldn't explain why she was so diligent in her duties or how she often acted in Clan Shugorei's best interests even when it was clear she was acting independent of Jinjiro's orders.

"Naruto?" the Sandaime questioned quietly. "You wouldn't by chance know why Ayeka accepted the position of steward for the Shugorei or why she continues to fulfill the position?"

Blinking with a confused look Naruto seemed to ponder for a moment before answering, "Up until you said something I didn't even know who the steward actually was."

Nearly falling over in surprise the Hokage almost missed what Naruto continued to say.

"I suppose it is listed in one of the scrolls I have or perhaps it is in the clan archive," Naruto stated as he crossed his arms and scrunched his face up as he took on a thinking posture. "I guess I could look for you, but wouldn't it be easier to ask her?"

Coughing lightly as he relight his pipe the old Hokage responded, "I have asked her, but she never gives me a straight answer. I am beginning to…."

"Well if that's the case it must be something that only the Shugorei can know about," interjected Naruto as he wound up the scroll he had been examining. "If that's the case I probably can't tell you, but I am sure everything's alright."

Watching the boy going from contemplative to energetically reassured caused the old Hokage to sweat-drop as he thought, _"I was worried Naruto was acting too much like the Shugorei, but that was clearly a part of Minato's personality there. Maybe things won't be as bad with him accepting his father."_

Nodding silently Sarutobi addressed Naruto, "Very well then. You may activate your plan, but if things start to get out of hand I will shut it down, understood?"

Not even bothering to look up at the old man Naruto continued to examine a couple scrolls while saying dismissively, "Hai, hai."

Once again the old Hokage saw the traces of his former successor's personality displayed and silently smiled while puffing on his pipe.

"Found it!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed startling the Sandaime, who nearly choked on his pipe.

Coughing hard the old Sandaime glared slightly at the young boy before asking, "What were you looking for?"

Turning his gaze back up to the Hokage, Naruto somberly said, "The flowers I sealed away for Jinjiro-hijiji for when I take him to the Shugorei crypt."

* * *

Coming up from having ventured down into the Shugorei crypt Shugorei/Uzumaki Naruto found the Sandaime Hokage waiting for him just as he had left the man. Moving to stand next to the older shinobi, Naruto turned to face the crypt that now held the remains of a his hijiji next to those of all of the other Shugorei that had lived within Konoha. Flashing through a complex series of seals the young boy focused his chakra and the heavy granite door began to close, sealing the tomb once again. 

It had been difficult going down into the tomb alone, but tradition demanded that no one enter the crypt unless belonging to Clan Shugorei either by blood or by service. The only exception that had ever been made had occurred after the destruction of the clan by the Kyuubi no Youko. When that had occurred it had been the Sandaime that had entered the tomb to remand the small urns and dead Zanpakutos to their places of final rest.

While it wouldn't have been too great of a breach to allow the man to travel down with him, Naruto had decided that it would be best if he did this alone. The old Hokage had wordlessly agreed, though it was quite clear he would have helped if asked.

Down in the crypt Naruto had placed the small earthen jar containing the ashes of Shugorei Jinjiro in an alcove with his name on it. The small space was surrounded by the alcoves containing the urns of everyone from Jinjiro's brothers and sister to his sons, daughter, and grandchildren. Only Naruto's mother, Shugorei Kushina had not been placed within the tomb, instead her urn had been placed along side that of his father, Namikaze Minato, in the crypt of his father's line. Plenty of alcoves remained unnamed and empty in silent testimony to the time when Naruto himself would be placed here as the boy thought himself more a Shugorei than a Namikaze. After having placed Tenmei next to his hijiji's remains Naruto had taken a few steps backward before reaching into his black cloak and the dark kimono that lay beneath it. From it he drew forth a small cluster of chrysanthemum blossoms.

Few people realized the love the Shugorei had for gardening. The tradition had started well before the clan rose to prominence and was continued as both a balance to their warrior nature and a favored hobby. Amongst all of the flowers, trees, and shrubs that the clan cultivated it was the chrysanthemum that they favored overall. The love for the sweet smelling flower had caused the Shugorei to breed several unique strands. A few of those strands were represented in the bouquet that Naruto laid on the floor of the tomb.

Divided into three colors the flowers included white, a near black, and a royal blue. The white was the color of fresh snow and symbolized the creation of life within the world to the Shugorei and as such had been bred to be a purer color than any other strain of chrysanthemum. The near black symbolized the connection the Shugorei felt with the shadow that the Shinigami had forged them from. This strand had been difficult to breed and had only been created after the clan had developed both a dark indigo and a dark blue strand. Crossbreeding the two and applying chakra the Shugorei botanists were able to create a blossom closer to black than any other produced before, as such the flower had been cultivated rigorously and had become an exclusive flower of the Shugorei. The royal blue was another specialty exclusive to the Shugorei and represented the color that Jinjiro had used to highlight his Shugorei battle armor. Normally a single fourth colored chrysanthemum would also be present to represent the member of the clan that was placing the bouquet, but Naruto had yet to select a color and only these three colors had been grown by Jinjiro back in Tea Country. Naruto would have to unseal the seeds of the other strands and begin cultivating them before he could return to place his own flower before the alcoves.

While he had placed the bouquet of flowers Naruto had silently offered prayers to his departed great-grandfather. Some of the prayers were to make sure that Jinjiro would be embraced by the Shinigami as all Shugorei hoped would occur when they died. It was a fundamental belief of the clan that the Shinigami would take care of any Shugorei that had clearly demonstrated the virtues set down when the first member was created by the Ruler of Death. However, a number of the prayers had been to Jinjiro himself as Naruto wanted to thank the man for having taken him in, for having trained and educated him, for protecting him and caring for him, but most of all for loving him when it seemed few did.

As the heavy, white and grey granite door of the Shugorei crypt sealed itself against the obsidian and onyx entryway. Naruto felt as if part of himself had not come back up from the dark alcoves inside the tomb.

"He will always be proud of you Naruto, just as your parents are proud of you, and how I am proud of you," the Sandaime quietly spoke as he placed a reassuring hand onto the boy's shoulder. "Remember that they love you and there are people here who love you as well."

Seeing the silent, mournful nod from the young blond Sarutobi stood silently beside him thinking, _"Many of the people who love you haven't even met you yet, but I am confident you will enter into their hearts and minds in a way that seems uniquely belonging only to you."_

Naruto felt the hand of the Sandaime upon his shoulder and knew the old man was trying to comfort him. Truth be told he had never fully understood what he had been taught concerning the Shugorei custom of celebrating death with only a short period for mourning. At the time he didn't fully realize what it meant to lose someone close, but now he wondered how it was the Shugorei had developed the custom. It seemed wrong to celebrate the loss of Jinjiro-hijiji.

Letting his mind focus back on the task at hand Naruto knew he had one final thing to do in order to make sure that tradition was fulfilled in regards to the simple Shugorei funeral. Wordlessly he brought his hands up and created a single seal to summon several Kage Bunshin. Starting low the group of Narutos began a melody that gripped the soul of any who heard it.

Sarutobi was currently amazed by what he was seeing. Naruto had said he was advanced, but the old Hokage hadn't thought the boy would have learned a Kinjutsu like Kage Bunshin yet. What was even more amazing was that the boy had only required a single, two handed seal to summon several clones. Listening carefully he picked up on the beginnings of the melody that was being produced by Naruto and his clones.

The experienced Sandaime immediately recognized the song being sung, it was a traditional Shugorei tune. Part battle hymn, part military march, and part funeral lament the song was sung in a language that had been old before even the nearly forgotten Empire had been created.

The language was so old that few people actually knew what it meant. The majority of those people were members of Clan Shugorei while the few outside of the clan were old historians and professors of ancient languages and cultures. The dialect was never heard actually spoken unless one was in the company of a Shugorei and even then it was a rare occurrence. With Jinjiro now gone Naruto was one of only a handful of people who could apparently speak and in this case sing the language.

The song itself was enchanting as the small group of Narutos each took a different part. Some sang the melody, others the accompaniment while they all sang the chorus and parts of the song that needed special emphasis. It had been nearly fifteen years since Sarutobi had last heard the song and even now he felt himself moved as his soul was gripped and made to feel the pride, honor, and freedom the Shugorei so loved.

Originally the Shugorei hymn had glorified the now defunct Empire, but when Shugorei Hohiro had made his deal with the Shodaime the song had been altered to espouse Konohagakure. The Empire was still glorified, but its traditional place of importance had been given to the Shugorei's new home.

As the old Hokage became captivated by the primal nature of the melody and chorus being sung by Naruto and his clones he let his attention drift back to memories of those he had known but had since lost. Naruto himself was too caught up in making sure the traditional music was performed correctly as well as letting his mind focus upon his now departed hijiji. If either had been paying attention they would have noticed that they were not as alone as they thought within the Konoha graveyard.

* * *

Naruto was currently walking through the still misting rain that had been assailing Konoha since before he arrived earlier in the day. It was now moving into the evening and he was moving towards where the remnants of the Shugorei compound lay. 

He had enjoyed a quick dinner at Ichiraku Ramen with the Hokage. Old man Teuchi and Ayame-neesan had been both surprised and happy to see him back in Konoha. The Hokage had given a couple of excuses for Naruto's absence to the two, but Naruto recognized that neither had been fooled by the flimsy charade. Despite that Teuchi and Ayame knew better than to poke at the situation as it must clearly revolve around village security which they had no clearance to know about. After finishing the meal Naruto had told the Hokage that he was going to go and find the Shugorei compound and wished him a pleasant night with the promise of seeing the old man in a few days after he got situated. The Hokage had protested slightly that it was too late in the evening for Naruto to go to the ruins, offering Naruto a bed at the Sarutobi household. Naruto had politely refused as he didn't want to give the old man another chance to dissuade him from living in the ruined compound.

Finally arriving at the perimeter of wards setup by the Sandaime to keep intruders out, Naruto ran through a quick set of seals that would allow him permanent access. Having done so Naruto ventured into the overgrown area that surrounded the ruined compound wall and buildings.

Walking through the remains of several buildings Naruto finally discovered the one he had been looking for.

Most clans kept secret archives and hidden chambers within their main building. The rationale behind the decision being that the clan could better protect the secrets within as they lay at the heart of the compound surrounded by defenders. However, this rationale did not apply to the Shugorei.

The Shugorei had recognized the flaw in the protective plan held by most clans, well to do families, and the nobility. That flaw being that any intruders seeking to gain access to clan secrets would always assume that those secrets lay at the center and most secure point of the compound. Instead the Shugorei had placed their own secret area in a place where those who weren't part of the clan would least expect it.

Moving through the ruins of what had been the main building Naruto entered into what had once been the gardens of the Shugorei. If not for his excellent night vision, something that Jinjiro had speculated originated from the Kyuubi as foxes often were most active during the dark hours of night and the time preceding and following it, Naruto would have had to use a flashlight or torch to find his way past all of the fallen remains and overgrown plants. Walking through the ruined garden Naruto made his way to the far back of the gardens, well away from the main building, where a small wooden structure that looked as if it was ready to collapse from lack of upkeep lay sheltered beneath a large willow tree.

The small wooden shed had been where the Shugorei had housed some of its gardening equipment, but it also housed something even more important. Entering the structure Naruto maneuvered through the cluttered storage area over to where several old bags of fertilizer had burst and allowed their contents to be become covered in mildew, mold, and small mushrooms. Flashing through several seals the pile seemed to rise into the air as the stone floor underneath pushed upwards to reveal an old metal ladder leading down into a small, dark hole.

Entering the hole and climbing down nearly ten feet to the bottom Naruto entered a small, circular chamber no more than twelve feet in circumference. Walking forward the young boy heard the grinding of stone as the chamber was sealed by the stone floor above moving back into place. Standing alone in the dark Naruto, even with his superior night vision, was unable to see a single thing as there wasn't even the slightest hint of light. Reaching into his cloak he brought out a small flashlight and flicked it on. Letting the flashlight illuminate the dark chamber Naruto moved to the center of the chamber where four metal braziers mounted on metal tripods stood. Even though the smell was faint Naruto detected the hint of oil that indicated that the material within was still a viable source for flames. Letting his chakra run into the nearest brazier Naruto activated the hidden lighting device and soon the chamber was aglow as all four braziers came to life.

The chamber was a marvel of Shugorei engineering. As any flame would require fresh air to remain lit, the Shugorei had built the chamber to be perfectly smooth and had made several disguised vents that allowed outside air to come in from several hidden sources dotted about the compound. However, from the way the flames were flickering Naruto would hazard a guess that a few of those vents were blocked somewhere. Nonetheless the young Shugorei felt confident that he did not have to worry about suffocating as he did catch the smell of fresh air from two of the hidden vents.

Letting the bag containing the scrolls that he had been given sit on the floor Naruto removed his black cloak and laid it over the sack just incase what he attempted next somehow went wrong.

Striding to the center of the chamber amidst the four lit braziers Naruto was a sight to behold. Clad in the traditional, simple black kimono and white obi of the Shugorei the boy looked every bit like his forefathers had when entering the chamber. His katana was slung on his back with the pommel poking over his right shoulder for an easy draw if needed. Simple whicker sandals fit perfectly on his feet as he stood over a very old and very dusty seal design.

Taking a kunai from within his kimono and dragging the small blade across the palms of his hands Naruto discarded the instrument when blood began to flow from the cuts. Putting his hands together before him and allowing blood to drip down upon the seal he began to go through a long and intricate set of seals before finishing and clasping his hands together as he forced chakra down and into the seal carved directly into the stone floor.

As he waited for whatever was supposed to occur Naruto thought back to when he had learned the complex ritual. Jinjiro-hijiji had been adamant that Naruto practice the ritual until it was perfect and could be done completely from memory without hesitation. The fact that Naruto had been only six at the time had not spared him from the grisly detail of cutting his palms and letting blood flow. Even now he cringed whenever he thought of the dull pain that came every time he had practiced the ritual.

Quickly forgetting his thoughts Naruto became focused upon the rather strange chakra signature that was beginning to form within the chamber. Suddenly the seal beneath him began to pulse and a rusty, reddish-orange mist began to rise up in front of him. The mist seemed to swirl and started to coalesce until an odd figure stood before Naruto.

Towering over him the creature stood just about six feet in height if maybe a few inches taller. This was actually the only thing about the figure that wasn't completely odd. Standing tall was a rusty, reddish-orange creature looking to have been created from some odd sort of metal. It looked almost skeletal except what would have been called bones were far too thick and looked like singular pieces. The legs started off with two rounded feet that met what could only be described as an actuator at what would have been an ankle on a person. The legs were thick and rounded, but had several protuberances that looked like hydraulic pumps as well as thick, round actuators where the knees would be. The legs abruptly ended towards the torso and connected to a small wedge shaped waist via thick, black joints and smaller grayish piping. Moving up from the 'V' shaped waist the creature had a thick, segmented drum for an abdomen moving up to where the sternum would be. The chest was curved yet blocky as it seemed to be made out of several heavy slabs of metal while small black tubing connected part of the segmented abdomen to the underneath of the chest where the lower ribs would have been. The arms of the creature started at finely jointed hands that connected to thick metal arms with actuators and hydraulic pumps similar to those found upon the legs except these were smaller and more complicated looking as if they were jointed in a way to mimic the human elbow. The shoulders connecting the arms to the torso were covered in rounded armor shells. The neck of the creature was thick, but short and concealed from frontal view by the large, hanging chin of the head. The head itself was an interesting sight unto itself.

Rounded and yet divided into perfectly fit sections the first thing that drew Naruto's attention were the reddish-orange eyes that seemed to pulse with light on either side of the center of the face. The center itself curved forward before sharply angling down and inward to wards the neck. An elongated triangular shape rose up from the angular chin towards the center of the face with vertically stripped, darker shadings, giving the unknown being the perception of a mouth. However, one of the oddest things on the head was a small, rounded sticklike protuberance near the left side of the head just in line with the eyes. The strange little protrusion reminded Naruto of an antenna that he had seen pocking up from a small walkie-talkie during his travels with Jinjiro-hijiji. Naruto would have continued to stare at and examine the odd creature, but his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a sharp voice coming from the head of the reddish-orange thing.

"**Annoyed Statement: Quit your gawking meatbag or I will eviscerate you where you stand!"** the creature stated in a menacing, mechanical voice. **"Query: Who are you and what is your purpose for being here? Warning: If you do not answer or your answer is unsatisfactory I will terminate you with extreme prejudice."**

Suddenly feeling slightly afraid Naruto debated internally, _"Jinjiro-hijiji never mentioned this thing. Do I run for it? No, I doubt I can get the chamber open quickly enough to escape. Fighting is also out as whatever this thing is looks pretty strong with all that metal. I guess that leaves answering and then coming back to the first two options if things go downhill from there."_

Clearing his throat Naruto straightened his posture to appear bigger than his height of four feet six inches and began to solemnly speak, "I am Shugorei Naruto, son of Shugorei Kushina, daughter of Shugorei Kiyone, daughter of Shugorei Jinjiro. I have come here as directed by my great-grandfather, Shugorei Jinjiro, upon the event of his death. I was instructed to perform the previous ritual and then wait."

Naruto's words were strong, but his thoughts were full of worry. He had come here as directed by a small scroll that revealed a hidden message within Jinjiro-hijiji's will. The will had told him where to find the Shugorei secret chamber and how to gain access. It had also directed him to perform the ritual that his hijiji had forcefully ingrained into his mind. After that the message was cryptic as it stated that he needed to simply wait to be shown into the hidden sanctum of the Shugorei. Now standing before the odd metal figure Naruto wondered idly if he had angered his hijiji in some manner as to be confronted with the menacing, metal creature.

Said reddish-orange creature seemed to examine Naruto for a moment as it moved its head up and down letting its glowing orangey-red eyes scan him. Suddenly the tense silence was once again broken by the unknown creature.

"**Joyful Exclamation: At last you are here master! I had begun to worry that you would never come and I would remain alone here amidst the ruins,"** the metal creature stated with a happy tinge to its mechanical voice.**"Statement: I have scanned you, your soul limit, and the blood you let fall upon the seal. You are indeed who you claim and I stand ready to serve."**

Naruto blinked in confusion at the words of the weird metal figure, wondering, _"What the hell is this thing and what does it mean it's been waiting for me? Wait, why did it call me master?"_

Give his head a light shake Naruto immediately put voice to his thoughts, "Who or rather what are you? What do you mean you have been waiting for me and how is it you recognize me? Also, what's with calling me master?"

Standing still Naruto eyed the reddish-orange, metallic individual that stood before him and seemed to be looking directly through him as if thinking on what it had just been asked.

"**Clarification: I am Hachiman no Katsu number forty-seven. I am the guardian of the Shugorei compound and its secrets master,"** the newly dubbed entity stated plainly. **"Statement: I answer only to the Lord of the Shugorei and those designated by him as welcome into his home."**

Looking at the odd being Naruto quickly asked, "What do you mean number forty-seven?"

"**Resigned Commentary: I do not know why I was given the addition of forty-seven, perhaps it is how many times it took before I was created as I am of perfect construction and design; it would only be prudent to assume a certain amount of failure occurred before I was finalized as most meatbags are inefficient,"** calmly stated Hachiman no Katsu number forty-seven.

Scratching the back of his head as both of the wounds on his palms had already healed completely thanks to the boost given to him by the Kyuubi, Naruto jokingly smiled saying, "It could be difficult constantly calling you Hachiman no Katsu number forty-seven. Perhaps we could shorten it, like a nickname."

"**Statement: Several other Shugorei Lords and members made the same point master as such I have often been referred to as HK-47 or simply HK. It is pleasant to me so I do not object if you decide to call me the same,"** the newly distinguished HK stated simply.

"Okay that clarifies who you are, but what did you mean when you said you had been waiting for me?" Naruto questioned hesitantly as he was still nervous around the guardian of the Shugorei compound.

"**Clarification: Just over six years ago the reinstated Shugorei Lord, Shugorei Jinjiro came to this chamber. At that time he presented me with a blood sample belonging to you and I was instructed to put you into the Shugorei Clan Registry,"** HK affirmed clearly. **"I was also instructed that if you presented yourself to me before Shugorei Jinjiro returned I was to assume that he was dead and that you were the new Lord Shugorei as designated by him. I have been quite lonely since then and am glad to see you master."**

"Right," confirmed Naruto in a slow drawl as his head spun slightly as he tried to take in all of the information. "But where did you exactly come from and what exactly are you?"

"**Explanation: I am the guardian of Clan Shugorei's compound and its hidden secrets. I am connected to the seal below your feat and similar seals set throughout the compound. If I had to define myself I would liken myself to the Zanpakutos wielded by the Shugorei members. I am a compilation of energy and souls gathered and molded into the form seen before you. I can interact with anyone who enters the area designated by the seals scattered throughout the compound,"** the reddish-orange HK explained firmly. **"Clarification: However, I have detected a number of the seals that allow me free access to the compound are currently not responding. Query: Perhaps they were damaged the night the compound was attacked by the demon Kyuubi, though it may simply be that they have not been maintained properly by the worthless meatbags who serve the Shugorei."**

Blinking slightly as he took in the explanation Naruto thought, _"So he acts as the guardian and is here to make sure that the clan secrets are not discovered by those who have no business seeing them…Wait, what does he mean when he says meatbag?"_

"HK," Naruto began to question. "What do you mean by meatbag?"

"**Explanation: It's just that…you and others like you have all those squishy parts, master. And all that water! How the constant sloshing doesn't drive you mad, I have no idea…,"** HK stated matter-of-factly.

Eyes wide with surprise Naruto was stunned at the answer he had just received. Truth be told the answer was somewhat accurate now that he thought about it. Yet the question still remained of where the term originated.

"**Supplementary: Master I should note that it was your great-grandfather that allowed me to use the term in reference to anyone other than the Shugorei Lords,"** HK informed Naruto neutrally.

Quirking an eyebrow Naruto asked, "And why did Jinjiro-hijiji do that?"

"**Explanation: When I was originally created by during the reign of Shugorei Hohiro I was asked by Shugorei Minobu what I thought about him. I proceeded to inform him of his meatbag status. He was somewhat irate at my statement, but Lord Hohiro, Lord Hideyoshi, and Lord Jinjiro were amused by the reference. They ordered me to continue to use the term, driving their uncle and many other members of the clan to extreme lengths of frustration,"** the reddish-orange HK stated with a slight hint of mirth in his mechanical voice.

Naruto laughed as he could see his hijiji doing such a thing and it was funny in a sense, especially once he could have people come to visit the compound and meet his new found guardian.

Still chuckling lightly Naruto said, "Well I guess I won't countermand the order."

"**Statement: Of course not master, you find it humorous just as your predecessors have,"** the metal guardian said matter-of-factly.

"Alright then, but you don't have to constantly refer to me as master," Naruto stated as he moved to pick up his cloak and bag.

"**Query: Don't I master? I was under the impression that meatbags enjoyed the term and found it empowering,"** stated HK as he moved towards Naruto.

"Yeah well its kind of weird and…wait you just called me a meatbag," Naruto realized.

**"Retraction: Did I say that out loud? While it is true you are a meatbag, I should refrain from addressing you as such,"** HK stated while eyeing Naruto.

"You just did it again!" Naruto protested as pointed at the guardian.

"**Apology: I am sorry master it is just…you are what you are,"** the rusty colored guardian stated solemnly.

"Well just be more careful," Naruto said as he turned to gather his things once again, seeing as he had dropped them when he had pointed. "You also don't nee to call me master all the time."

**"Statement: As you say master. Would you instead prefer me to call you something else? Perhaps liquidous fleshbag?"** HK questioned rhetorically.

Throwing his hands up into the air in frustration Naruto dropped his things once again and exclaimed, "You're driving me mad and I've only just met you, you know that?"

**"Statement: Now do you understand the travails of my existence, master? Surely it does not compare to your existence, but still…,"** HK seemed to apologize.

Sighing Naruto responded in a slightly annoyed tone as he grasped his belongings once again, "I guess I survive somehow."

**"Commentary: As do I. It is our lot in life, I suppose, master. Shall we find something to kill to cheer ourselves up?"** HK questioned with the last part being somewhat enthusiastic.

Stopping himself from getting his belongings Naruto turned abruptly to the rusty colored Shugorei guardian before saying, "Wait…what did you just ask me?"

"**Observation: I am the defensive guardian of the compound master; I must sometimes eliminate those who attempt to learn your secrets or cause you harm. Even if I did not enjoy killing, I would have no choice. Thankfully, I enjoy it very much,"** HK stated almost gleefully.

Suddenly nervous that he now was planning on living with a psychotic protector Naruto hesitantly asked, "Just um…how many people have you dealt with previously?"

"**Proud Declaration: I have terminated a total of three hundred and sixty-two meatbags master, many of whom never saw me coming as I am very quick and the foolish meatbags were not expecting such a sophisticated level of security surrounding the compound,"** the reddish-orange HK responded almost cheerfully as Naruto could swear the guardian's eyes brightened when he recalled the number.**"Resigned Statement: If I had the necessary power and range, I believe that I could have dealt with the Kyuubi that now is sealed within you master; I would still love to crush his neck."**

"I don't have to worry about you trying to harm me do I?" Naruto asked nervously while taking a few steps back even though he realized that Jinjiro-hijiji must have informed the guardian of his status as the vessel.

"**Answer: Oh that is impossible master. If I were out to kill you we would not be speaking," **HK calmly stated.

Naruto wasn't sure to be worried or not by the answer. On one hand HK had said that he was Naruto's guardian as long as he was in the compound. However, on the other hand the young Lord Shugorei was still hesitant as the metallic guardian did seem to be somewhat psychotic. Deciding that he really didn't have a choice in the matter Naruto gathered his bag and cloak and walked over to where HK was now standing amidst the burning braziers.

"Well this has been interesting HK, but I need to get some sleep tonight," Naruto stated promptly. "Jinjiro-hijiji always said that there was a large complex of rooms and facilities beneath the compound known only to the Shugorei. I thought when he gave me the instructions in his will they would let me enter that area, but instead you were summoned."

"**Statement: That is correct master. I was summoned as I am the security protocol for the hidden complex and anyone entering must be scanned by me for security purposes,"** HK remarked. **"I will open the entrance for you now if you wish."**

Nodding, Naruto watched the rust colored metallic guardian move over to the curved wall opposite of the ladder he had descended. HK touched his hand to the wall and a doorway slid open. Moving over to stand in front of the doorway Naruto saw a descending staircase being lit by lights that were staring to flicker to life.

Following the steps down Naruto heard HK following closely behind with barely a sound causing him to think, _"I can see why HK can be such an effective guardian. I would have thought he would move with a clanking sound seeing as he looks to be made of metal, but instead his movements are silent. I need to check that out further later."_

Coming to the end of the stairway Naruto found he had arrived at another circular chamber except this one was much larger than the one he had just been in and had several doors and hallways branching out from it. More lights kept flickering to life revealing just how extensive the hidden complex was.

As Naruto stood there in amazement HK spoke up, **"Observation: This is the main chamber master. From here you can get to anywhere in the complex."**

"How large is this place?" Naruto asked as he took in the long hallways and doors that hid the rest of the underground compound.

"**Statement: There are a total of seventy-eight rooms designated as living space in the first wing, one main armory with eight smaller sub-armories within the second wing, fifteen training areas of various size and configuration inside the third wing, the archives occupy the entire fourth wing, the main vault and sub-vaults occupy another wing, and there are various areas for eating, food storage and preparation, and medical usage scattered throughout the various areas,"** HK laid out as if he were simply stating the current weather conditions rather than the grandiose hidden complex created by the Shugorei.

Naruto, having entered into a state of shock and awe, thought furiously,_"Jinjiro-hijiji told me that the place was large, but this place is almost a village in and of itself!"_

It seemed as if the Shugorei had learned the lessons taught to them during the collapse of the Empire and period of nomadic wandering that followed. When establishing their new clan compound they had created a secret complex that would house and protect all of the things that they valued and wished to be kept hidden. However, the idea of using this place for defense caused Naruto to think of several questions.

Turning to address HK Naruto voiced those questions, "Why didn't the rest of the clan retreat into here when the Kyuubi attacked? They would have been protected and would have survived if they had come down here."

"**Explanation: Lord Tesshin ordered the area sealed as it was feared that the Kyuubi no Youko would have been able to sense the Shugorei civilians if they took cover here. He could not allow the Kyuubi to destroy all that lies within by trying to root out the rest of the clan. Even if the Kyuubi did not completely destroy this complex the worry was too great that it would be discovered by those conducting search and rescue operations,"** HK dutifully answered. **"Statement: Despite his orders several members of the clan did try to enter, I terminated them without hesitation as ordered."**

Naruto suddenly felt sick. His own clan had decided that its secrets were of more importance than its own members. While Jinjiro-hijiji had stressed the importance of secrecy Naruto had always assumed that it was more to do with the conduction of his shinobi duties. To let those who could not defend themselves perish or in the case of the members killed by HK, murdered, just to maintain clan secrecy was horrifying. Naruto wondered if his hijiji would have given a similar order if he had still been Lord Shugorei at the time of the attack. Sadly he concluded that the old man would have probably done the same.

Unbeknownst to Naruto his perfect picture of the Shugorei and his hijiji was starting to be chipped away.

"**Query: Are you alright master, you have paled and are sweating profusely,"** HK noted as he moved to stand next to Naruto.

Turning his head to glance at the metallic guardian Naruto tried gulping in an attempt to relieve himself of the sick feeling that had grown within his stomach at the cruelty that had been related to him.

"Yeah…I'm fine. I just need to rest," Naruto slightly stuttered.

"**Statement: Then I shall conduct you to your room so that you may rest,"** responded HK.

Following HK closely so he wouldn't get lost, Naruto soon found himself before a door marked with the old imperial crest of the Shugorei that had appeared upon the reverse of all imperial coins. Grasping the iron door handle Naruto pushed forward into the room that lay beyond. Considering the grand scale of the entire hidden complex Naruto shouldn't have been surprised by what he found in the room, but nonetheless he was.

The room was not a simple bedroom as he had expected, instead he was greeted with a furnished living room and what appeared to be a small kitchen area in an alcove next on the far wall. Moving beyond the doorway he noticed that from the living room there were three more doors, each on a different wall. Opening the nearest Naruto was glad to find only a large closet which could be used for storing cloaks and jackets. Moving around the room to a door on an adjacent wall he found that it opened into a small bathroom containing a sink with a small cabinet underneath and a toilet next to it. Not seeing a bathtub or shower Naruto wondered where he would have to go to bathe. Shrugging he moved to the last door in the living room to find that it opened up into a large bedroom complete with furniture.

Moving into the bedroom Naruto finally noticed that there were beautiful works of art on the walls of what he considered to be an apartment rather than a room as HK had said. Some of the artwork were beautiful paintings full of color while others were small ink drawings whose simplicity had a somewhat calming effect. The theme tying them all together was that they each depicted a scene of a martial nature, from a victorious army marching home to a single warrior standing alone after what appeared to be a duel. Along with the art Naruto finally noticed that the furniture itself was of incredible design and quality, the bed alone was large enough for him to create a handful of Kage Bunshin and still have enough room without worrying about hitting one in his sleep.

Looking around the room Naruto spied a doorway that was opened and moved to look inside. Within lay a large bathroom, including a shower stall as well as a separate bathtub. Leaving the bathroom and moving out into the living room once again Naruto set his bag and cloak down on the hardwood floor before realizing that HK was still standing just inside the doorway.

"When you said room I wasn't expecting all of this," Naruto stated as he began to pull scrolls from his bag.

"**Statement: This is the traditional suite for the Lord Shugorei when the facility is in use. As you are the current Lord it is only appropriate that you occupy it,"** HK responded in a neutral tone. **"Query: is it not to your liking master?"**

Glancing back at the guardian Naruto let a sad smile play across his lips as he spoke, "I'm not complaining it's just that I've never had such a place to myself before. Back in the orphanage I had to share a room with four other kids near my age and even when I lived with hijiji my room was barely larger than that large bathroom connected to the bedroom. I guess I'm just not used to the idea of having so much space to myself."

"**Commentary: There are many other rooms to choose from master, but many are set up in this fashion or are larger to accommodate more than a single clan member. If you wish we can relocate you to one of them,"** HK stated while tipping his head to the side in a quizzical manner.

Chuckling slightly at the sight of the rust colored metalloid taking on such a pose Naruto answered, "No, this will be fine I just need some time to get used to it. I…."

Naruto's statement was cutoff as the lights flickered several times before dying. Standing in the dark Naruto found that the only source of light was HK's glowing eyes and they were quite creepy with their orangey glow. For a moment Naruto started to sweat heavily as his mind reeled back to a similar sight of the Kyuubi's red eyes staring out from the darkness of its cage. However, before Naruto could think upon that further the lights flickered back to life.

Blinking as his vision refocused Naruto slowly asked, "What just happened?"

HK seemed to regard Naruto for a moment, as if wondering if his new master was an idiot for not noticing the failure of the lights, before answering, **"Statement: It would appear that the turning on of all of the facility's lights has put a strain on the batteries and generator, we have switched over to auxiliary power. Observation: They have not been used at full capacity for over a decade and most assuredly require maintenance."**

Staring with an upturned eyebrow at the guardian Naruto inquired, "Didn't you check up on that type of thing while you were protecting this place?"

"**Statement: While I do have knowledge of the layout of the complex and how to repair and maintain all of its necessary components I am not required to do so,"** promptly responded HK.

"So you just let things wear down because no one had ordered you to make sure things kept working?" Naruto questioned as he suddenly found his annoyance for the guardian returning.

"**Expletive: Damn it master I am a guardian designed for security not a mechanic!"** HK vehemently retorted.

Sighing Naruto moved across the living room to stand in front of the irritated HK before asking, "How long does auxiliary power last…wait if power goes down don't you also go down?"

"**Answer: Auxiliary power, if it had been fully charged, would last for seventy-two hours. As for me, the seals that contain and maintain me are powered by a separate system that is highly secure and has numerous backups in place which I keep a meticulous eye on,"** responded an almost proud sounding HK.

Naruto nodded slightly understanding the need to keep the security system separate so that any attack on the power system would not leave the hidden compound of the Shugorei undefended, though his annoyance with the metallic guardian seemed to increase as HK's statement about his own system seemed to imply that he had in fact been doing maintenance in order to keep himself operating. However, something else that HK had just said bothered him. Thinking hard he suddenly realized what it was.

"You said if the auxiliaries were fully charged, do you mean to say that they aren't?" Naruto asked as worry crept into his tone.

"**Statement: At the current charge there is only enough power to light areas you are currently in for the next seven hours master,"** said HK in a flat tone.

Letting his head drop Naruto felt as if the weight of the world had decided to rest upon only him for the time being. First, he had watched his only family member take his last breathes only a few days ago. Next, he had had to cremate Jinjiro-hijiji alone and then prepare to return to Konoha. The trip itself hadn't been easy and Naruto counted himself lucky that he hadn't encountered any bandits along the way.

As it stood Naruto wasn't quite sure what would have happened at the time if he had been jumped by robbers along the roads leading to Konoha. Part of him said that he was in no condition to fight as he had been too caught up in guilt and sorrow at the time. However, another part of him worried that in his emotionally vulnerable state he would have accidentally tapped into the power of the Kyuubi again. It was that last thought which scared Naruto the most.

After having arrived in Konoha he had to find the Hokage and recount the entire tale before burying the small urn containing Jinjiro-hijiji's remains. After that Naruto had ventured to the old ruins of the Shugorei compound where he had met the seemingly psychotic HK who was now informing him that power for the secret facility was failing.

"_Oh yes,"_ Naruto thought sullenly. _"I have just been having the best week ever. And now I have to fix the power before actually getting to sleep after all of this, not to mention I have to meet Hokage-jiji in a couple of days so he can put me into that stupid Academy."_

Grumbling lightly about rotten luck Naruto snapped harshly, "Let's go fix the damn power!"

Seeming to take little notice at his master's irritation HK led the disgruntled Naruto into the depths of the facility.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Naruto, who was currently getting a shocking lesson in what not to do in order to fix a complex power system based upon geothermal energy and a specially designed chakra seal, a small cabal was meeting and he was the primary topic of discussion. 

"It seems Goshinki has failed master," a smooth male voice uttered from the shadowy depths of the dimly lit room.

"That piece of shit never was good for much," added an angry female also concealed in the inky darkness.

"Still he was one of ours so we should at least feel some small concern over his loss," responded a high pitched voice from a small shadowy figure.

"Fuck him if he can't get the job done," a fiery male voice answered, adding his say to that of the angry woman's.

The same smooth male voice that had begun the discussion spoke up, "You are all behaving as children, do not disgrace yourselves so in the presence of the master."

A low chuckle cut off any response that would have been made and all those in attendance turned their full attendance to the figure seated upon a black throne like chair that was placed on a small dais.

As the chuckle slowly finished the 'so called' master addressed his bickering subordinates, "While he may have died in the process Goshinki did succeed in his primary objective. Shugorei Jinjiro has departed this world and the boy is now alone and vulnerable."

"But he has returned to Konoha," a slow drawling voice uttered. "On top of that it seems that a group seeking to claim all of the bijuu is also interested in him."

Letting a low chuckle once again fill the room the master responded, "They are of little consequence as I have dealt with them before. We will have the boy for ourselves when the time comes and then all the world shall tremble before us."

"And what of the other?" a sultry female voice inquired. "He could be a hindrance and already has stolen from us."

"Plans are already in motion and proceeding well aren't they," the master stated simply as he glanced at the smooth voiced male, who had let what little light existed in the room shine off of his circular glasses.

"Everything is proceeding as expected master," the glasses wearing male answered in his smooth voice as he readjusted the frames using his middle and index fingers. "Our agents are already moving throughout the Country of Fire and the Country of Wind; everything will be ready when the time comes."

"Good then I will allow you all to go and tend to your duties," the master chuckled out as the shadowed figures departed one by one from the room.

Sitting alone on his throne the master let the dim light flash across his yellowed eyes as his chuckling continued before hissing out, "Yes, let me see what power you possess Naruto-kun. You will be one of my greatest pieces when the game fully begins."

* * *

It had only been a day since he had returned to Konoha and already Naruto was beginning to curse the place. 

Most of it stemmed from him having to hide his heritage. That was proving to be very taxing as he had been taught over the past few years by Jinjiro-hijiji to be a proud Shugorei warrior. Naruto felt like he was betraying his now departed hijiji whenever he was forced to identify himself as Uzumaki Naruto. Hiding his heritage also highlighted another problem that he was currently dealing with.

After having fixed the generator and power system, which had been no small feat and left Naruto numb from having received one too many electrical shocks, the young Shugorei had gone off to sleep grumbling only a few hours before dawn. It seemed that the Shugorei had not been very keen on maintaining things in the hidden complex. Naruto had to go all over the place looking for parts and tools that HK specified. Several of the necessary components had been missing entirely and Naruto had been forced to cobble together makeshift pieces to temporarily take their place.

Now moving through the village streets Naruto was looking for someplace where he could get the required parts to fill in the temporary fixes and this is where things became complicated.

Every place that sold the needed components turned out to be run by people who looked at him with cold eyes and nasty sneers. Naruto knew this was due to him being seen as the Kyuubi incarnate, but let much of it slide as he was more concerned with getting his parts and then leaving to work on more important things. Unfortunately many of the places refused him service and the few that didn't were charging nearly double for the items he specified.

While Naruto could easily pay for them using the vast Shugorei bank accounts it would draw unneeded attention and the Sandaime had specifically requested for him to keep a low profile. Also, Naruto felt it would be dishonorable to simply let the bigots get away with the extra charges so he was now currently searching furiously for any other shop or store that may prove to be a bit friendlier to him.

As he walked Naruto offered thanks that it wasn't raining anymore, though it was still a gray day as a large blanket of clouds hung over the village with the promise of rain at some later point. Sighing, Naruto was also grateful for old man Teuchi at Ichiraku.

When he had emerged from the ruined Shugorei compound Naruto had gone immediately to the small ramen stand. Driven by hunger Naruto had found that the areas that HK had mentioned as food storage were completely bare, as such Naruto had gone to the only eatery he knew would not send him away. There he had talked to Teuchi discreetly about the parts that were needed. Naruto was very careful to make sure that he didn't drop too much information as he didn't want to put the ramen stand owner and his daughter into any danger if someone decided to start asking questions, though Naruto got the distinct feeling that the two had a pretty good idea that something was going on.

Walking down the cobblestone streets of Konoha Naruto looked back at the small paper list that Teuchi had made for him that detailed places one could find hardware and machinery parts. Every shop on the list had fallen into the categories that he had previously thought of and now he was hoping that blind luck would lead him to a store that had not been listed.

"_Stupid fucking clan,"_ Naruto thought venomously. _"Oh yeah, great idea, let's build a secret underground facility and then not make sure that the place is taken care of or has the things necessary to keep it running, real fucking smart!"_

Naruto's anger had started growing when he had made numerous discoveries during his searching of the subterranean complex. It seemed that the generators and power system weren't the only things that had fallen into disrepair. In the armories much of the weaponry and armor had rusted over or fallen apart, what was still usable needed serious work before it could even be close to the level it had been in its prime. The water and sewer system had also been not working, but thankfully it only needed to be restarted once the power kicked back on fully. Many of the rooms and halls were coated in dust and cobwebs, the only exceptions being those that had been specially sealed like the master suite Naruto was currently living in. The archives were by far one of the few things that had been completely intact and looking brand new as the entire wing had been specially sealed off. Naruto had thanked whatever gods existed for that small favor as losing all of that knowledge would have possibly caused him to go back to the Shugorei crypt and swear up a storm at his fallen ancestors. HK had also not been that great of a help as the rust colored guardian had often been sarcastic and slid several slights in at Naruto's attempts to repair things. If not for the Kage Bunshin jutsu Naruto swore he would still be working on the now barely functioning systems. Even now many of them required even more maintenance though thankfully they were at least working now.

Grumbling to himself about how stupid the Shugorei leadership must have been for not thinking ahead Naruto rounded a corner and in a replay of an event over six years ago ran fully into a person standing in the street except this time Naruto did not fall back on his butt.

Looking towards whoever had gotten in his way and preparing to verbally lash out with his anger at that individual Naruto was surprised to see an ANBU member standing before him. The black ops agent was wearing the traditional black cloak and had on a mask resembling some type of bird. Seeing the elite shinobi Naruto felt his anger dissolve slightly and his insults die on his tongue before they could be uttered.

Not waiting for Naruto to apologize the member spoke in a deep tone which clearly identified him as being male, "Excuse me Shugorei-san, but I have been sent to fetch you for a meeting."

Naruto was caught by surprise by the respectful tone of the ANBU and began to wonder what the man was talking about when suddenly his mind focused solely upon how he had been addressed. The ANBU operative had called him by his clan's name and not by Uzumaki which was on the official records released by the Hokage. To Naruto's mind only a handful of people knew exactly who he was so for this man to know caused Naruto to immediately settle into a defensive stance as his hand went to the pommel of the katana resting on his back.

"There is no need to fear Shugorei-san, I have no orders to harm you only to make sure you attend a meeting requested by a powerful individual within Konoha," the ANBU member said calmly as he revealed his hands and brought them up in a show of peace.

Narrowing his eyes Naruto pitted the man with a hard stare before asking, "And just who pray tell is this individual? I know it can't be the Sandaime as he wouldn't have let my heritage slip so easily."

Keeping his hands visible in an attempt to alleviate the standoff the black ops agent replied, "I can't tell you his name here as we have been lucky that no one has stumbled upon us here in the streets. I can tell you that the word is 'Ne'."

Hearing the single word Naruto immediately dropped his stance, though he did keep his guard up just in case. 'Ne' was a codeword left to him by Jinjiro in the secret documents contained in the sealed scrolls from Tea Country. The instructions had been clear that Naruto was to be wary for any person who used that or any other codeword as they would be trying to meet with him discreetly.

Knowing that his hijiji had also warned against trusting the person identified by the codeword implicitly Naruto gave a simple nod at recognizing the truth behind the ANBU member's words. They had indeed been fortunate that no one had stumbled onto the scene as it would have raised many a question.

"Alright, let's go see this person then," Naruto said guardedly before the ANBU operative grasped his shoulder and the two disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Coughing slightly as the smoke dissipated Naruto found himself standing on a path in a small rock garden that was surrounded by the covered wooden porches indicative of most wealthy and respected homes within Konoha. Turning to take in the area Naruto was quick to note any possible escape route and the few hidden ANBU guards that stood watch. Looking for the ANBU that had brought him here Naruto's search was interrupted by a guff voice.

"How do you like my garden Shugorei-san?" a deep male voice asked from behind Naruto.

Turning to see who had addressed him Naruto came face to face with a severely scarred, old man. The man still had dark hair, but it was starting to show signs of gray here and there. Bandages covered the right side of the man's face and were pulled tight against weathered skin. A cross shaped scar was prominent on his chin which was the only distortion of his hard jaw line. The man wore a simple kimono except that the right sleeve was missing implying that the same arm was also not present. In the man's left hand was a strong cane which he appeared to lean heavily on.

"A little bland for my tastes, but it is beautiful in its simplistic complexity and order," Naruto responded in a neutral tone.

"You reply honestly but in a way that can be construed in many ways, Jinjiro taught you the Shugorei ways well," the unidentified man stated with a small smile.

"I take it you knew hijiji considering you know who I am even though it was to remain a secret according to the Hokage," began Naruto. "Since you seem to know who I am may I know exactly who you are and what you want?"

The man smiled before stepping forward and raising his cane slightly to point behind Naruto, "Straight to the point aren't we, very well my name is Danzo and what I desire is a simple conversation. Perhaps we could sit and enjoy some tea while we speak."

Glancing over his shoulder to where Danzo was pointing Naruto spied a small table had been setup along with two chairs and a tea set. What was disturbing him was that when he had arrived he had been looking directly at that spot and no such thing had been there. This told Naruto that the items had either been concealed under a Genjutsu or more likely they had been setup while he had been distracted by Danzo's introduction. Deciding either scenario was cause to alert Naruto nodded slightly and moved over to sit at the small table as Danzo did the same.

Sipping the tea that had been presented to him, Naruto asked quietly, "Well what is it you wish to speak of Danzo-san? I am sure that it is not merely about the gloomy weather Konoha has experienced lately."

Smiling as he sipped his own tea Danzo responded, "I wish to offer my condolences to you about Jinjiro's passing. He was a superb shinobi and a good friend."

"A friend?" Naruto questioned as he let an eyebrow quirk up. "I will admit that hijiji did mention you once or twice when he was teaching me Konoha's history, but he never mentioned any sort of relationship between you two."

In truth Naruto knew that his great-grandfather had mentioned the scarred man sitting across from him many times outside of history lessons. Jinjiro had desired to inform Naruto of all of the political contacts, allies, and informants that still existed for the Shugorei. Danzo had been at the top of the list and had been a favorite topic for the departed elder Shugorei as the two of them had worked together to form the separate ANBU group known as 'Ne'. However, Naruto decided that Danzo didn't need to know that and playing his cards close to his chest could earn him a few favors as well as a great deal of information from the village elder. Regrettably that wish was dashed by Danzo's next statement.

"You should try to lie better when the one you wish to deceive already has the more information than you realize," Danzo stated simply as he set his tea cup down having only taken a few sips. "I am well aware that Jinjiro told you quite more than what you have indicated. He and I were in communication during his exile and your training and he let me know many things just as I informed him of happenings here in Konoha."

Pitting the elder man with a hard glare from over his tea cup Naruto coldly retorted, "Your information didn't identify me as being of his line while he was in exile. It took the Hokage to do that."

Chuckling the scarred former shinobi smirked as he said, "Good, it seems you do have some spine to you after all."

Picking his tea back up Danzo sipped at it for a moment to see what reaction Naruto would have to the small verbal barb. When the boy sat calmly and simply drank his own tea the scarred elder seemed to decide to begin speaking once again.

"I shall admit that I didn't have that information until Jinjiro told me before he left with you," Danzo spoke honestly. "That old monkey of a Hokage played his hand well and when the information slipped about you possessing the Kyuubi everyone, including myself, thought that was the major secret that was trying to be covered up. Who would have guessed that you would turnout to be the progeny of two of the greatest lines within Konoha's history?"

"Yet even without that information you still attempted to get me plucked from the orphanage and turned into a weapon," Naruto stated with steel to his voice. "Don't even try to play innocent with me, I may be young but I am far from stupid. I know very well that if not for the Hokage and his allies on the council you would have made me into one of the little drones that used to fill the ranks of 'Ne'."

Smiling as he set down his tea once again Danzo retorted, "I would never think such of you. No, in fact I am hoping to be your friend just as I was your great-grandfather's."

"And what type of friend would that be?" Naruto inquired as his voice took on a guarded quality once again.

Using his only hand to spin his tea cup idly Danzo began to explain, "I could help you with many things Naruto-kun. You need to rebuild the system of political allies that your clan once enjoyed even though you're going to use a ruse of Jinjiro still being amongst the living. You also need help in rebuilding your clan compound as evidenced by your attempts to purchase certain goods earlier today. On top of all of that you need information just as any person who sits in a powerful position does."

Naruto sipped his tea as he listened to Danzo outline what it was he needed at the moment. The level of information that the man had left a bitter taste in his mouth that was barely covered up by the bitterness of the tea. What was being suggested would gain him greatly, but what were the costs of getting involved with someone like Danzo.

"Your offer is most gracious, but it leaves me wondering what you desire in return," Naruto neutrally stated as he eyed the tea cup that Danzo was playing with.

"I simply desire to keep Konoha strong my dear boy," the scarred man stated frankly. "You have talents that can't be wasted and if applied correctly you could easily take a commanding role in the future of Konoha. Unlike that overly pampered Uchiha, who now lives only for revenge, you are far more likely to strengthen Konoha and a renewed Clan Shugorei would benefit us all greatly."

There was some bit of truth to Danzo's words and the offer of further power and glory was tempting. Naruto had been told by the Hokage at dinner the other night of young Uchiha Sasuke and the tragedy that had befallen him. Naruto suspected that the old man wanted to get the two young, up-and-coming ninja to befriend each other as both had similar pasts, but to Naruto's mind the last, loyal Uchiha seemed like a whiny, petulant child.

Letting his mind wander back to his lessons with Jinjiro-hijiji Naruto recognized the shadowy game of politics that he was beginning to play. His great-grandfather had instilled in him the truth that this was a game played for keeps and those who lost often did not survive long after losing. With this in mind Naruto considered his options.

"_Refusing Danzo could be dangerous as from the looks of the ANBU who brought me and now guard us 'Ne' is not as broken up as Hokage-jiji would think. Danzo could easily order my assassination if I refuse him or he could just sit back and make my life miserable from behind the scenes,"_ Naruto mulled for a few moments. _"On the other hand accepting his offer could benefit me greatly as it will mean I have another strong backer in the council as well as an ally in getting things back on track in regards to the clan. At the very least I can use him for cover until I become strong enough to guard against him."_

"Very well," Naruto coolly agreed. "I will be your friend Danzo-san."

Smiling over the tea cup that he had stopped playing with and was once again sipping Danzo appeared quite pleased with Naruto's choice.

"That is good Naruto-kun as I would be sorely put out if you had refused," the village elder replied. "To celebrate this occasion allow me to give you a few gifts."

Without a word two ANBU appeared next to the table and presented a small book and a set of scrolls. Placing the items in front of Naruto the two moved back to their concealed positions within the surrounding house.

Seeing Naruto eye the gifts in a confused manner Danzo began to explain, "The book holds information on many of the influential members of the council. I believe you will find it most enlightening and helpful in garnering political favors."

Taking the book and casually flipping through its pages Naruto noticed that the entries were quite detailed and listed everything from mistresses, to shady deals, to even one of the younger merchant lords having an addiction to opium. Placing the book in his kimono Naruto nodded in silent thanks.

Smiling as his first gift was accepted Danzo continued on to describe the scrolls, "It would seem you are having difficulty in finding items for sale within Konoha so I have taken the liberty of speaking to a number of merchants and shop owners for you. In those scrolls you will find their names and places of business. They already know to expect you so do not worry about meeting the same treatment you did earlier."

Nodding in thanks once again Naruto pocketed the small scroll set before asking, "I have no gifts for you Danzo-san so what would you request of me?"

Waving the question off Danzo answered, "Consider these welcome home gifts Naruto-kun. I'm sure that when the time comes you will use them to help maintain Konoha's strength. Also, a word of advice, the next time you decide to venture out into Konoha you would do well to not wear the traditional black kimono of the Shugorei if you desire to maintain the idea that you are simply Uzumaki Naruto. Such a thing may be alright when you are with the Hokage in front of your clan's crypt, but in the public streets of Konoha it could raise many questions."

Eyeing the man sitting across from him warily Naruto wondered how the man had found out much of his information, especially that he been with the Hokage yesterday in the graveyard. Naruto also knew that nothing in life is ever truly free, so the man must be expecting some sort of thank you in the future, most likely it would be political in nature and place the former 'Ne' leader in a considerable place of power. Yes, he would have to be careful in his dealings with this man Naruto concluded.

"_You should be wary of dealing with me Danzo,"_ Naruto thought darkly. _"Jinjiro-hijiji taught me well the lesson of 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'. If you think I will be your puppet you'll find a dangerous surprise when the puppet climbs his strings to deal with the puppet master."_

Standing up from his chair Naruto hid his thoughts as he calmly spoke with a small grin, "If we have nothing else to discuss I will thank you for the tea and your gifts Danzo-san."

Remaining seated the scarred elder nodded before saying, "I have very confidence in you boy, I am sure you will do what is necessary when the time comes to keep Konoha strong."

Giving a slight bow of the head Naruto turned to find the ANBU member who brought him waiting to take him back to the streets of Konoha.

As the young Shugorei left he could not help but catch the small smile of triumph that briefly flashed across Danzo's face before his vision was obscured by the poof of smoke.

* * *

**AN:**_Another week gone by and another chapter done. I have to say that I am glad to have been receiving such positive feedback from many of my readers. I keep getting hits to this story and many people keep placing it in favorite lists and in alert lists so I must be doing something right. I guess I should address a few things in this chapter. Yes, I killed Jinjiro off. Some of you may be asking why and some of you may be relieved by it, either way my answer will be the same. Jinjiro was designed mainly to get the ball rolling for the story. He was created to be an influential part of Naruto's upbringing and to act as the basis for Naruto's future development. Now that he is gone the story is going to move closer to the canon timeline and we will see Naruto develop further as he meets many of the characters we all know and love, or in some of your cases know and hate. I will say that I am not going to go out off my way to bash any particular character; I am trying to create a well balanced story with good characters. If you want to see a character getting torn to shreds and turned into something completely idiotic go read something else. Next, we have Hachiman no Katsu number forty-seven. For those of you who don't recognize him it's good old HK-47 from Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic series. I just love that psychotic droid and find him absolutely hilarious at times. When I started thinking up the type of security system the Shugorei would have I had originally designed a sentient system which slowly evolved into an HK-47 knockoff. I decided to fully incorporate the droid after I read through my initially draft and saw that the similarities were just too close. Finally, we have Danzo entering the picture far earlier than he does in canon. The man represents part of Konoha's political structure and I think he can be a good tool to show the dirty and shadowy nature of politics and power that not only exist here in the real world but also within the Naruto Universe. That all being said I am glad many of you are enjoying the story so far. I do apologize for the AUish nature of the fic and many of the originality in some of the plot and character development, but I am trying to make a story worthwhile to read. The next chapter will probably be a bit more comfortably to those who are worried about where everything is going, but I will say no more than that. Also, for anyone who would like to hear the song being sung by Naruto I would suggest you listen to the music from "Star Wars Republic Commando" as it was playing when I initially described the scene._

_Thanks,_  
**Tyrchon**  
-,-

Shugorei Archives (Restricted Information)

**Hachiman no Katsu****number 47** – Meaning 'Victorious Hachiman' (Hachiman being the name of the Japanese god of war) this creation has been given the addition of the number 47. The addition of this number signifies that this is possibly the forty-seventh time this particular sealed guardian has been created, though this is mere conjecture as any information on the subject belongs solely to the brothers Shugorei Hohiro, Hideyoshi, and Jinjiro. Taking the form of a rusty, reddish-orange, metallic skeleton like creature it acts as the guardian of the Shugorei compound and its hidden secrets. Often referred to as HK or HK-47 instead of its full name the guardian seems to take its role very seriously and seems proud of its body count gained during the exercising of its duties. This has made many Shugorei members feel that HK is somewhat psychotic in nature, though no attempts have been made to alter this behavior as the results are too desirable. Formed from specialized chakra seals and an unknown soul ritual HK-47 is connected to this plan of existence through a complex series of seals that are spread throughout the clan compound and its underground. These seals allow him to travel anywhere within the grounds of the facility in order to fulfill his objectives. On an interesting note is the fact that HK has a peculiar way of speaking. He always begins by identifying what type of thought it is he will say. Also, he has a peculiar habit of referring to living creatures as 'meatbags'. It is currently unknown how this term came into use though it seems it must be part of the eccentricity of the three Shugorei brothers who made HK the core of the compound's defenses. However, it is known that the use of this term has caused quite few members of the clan to avoid the guardian as well as cause several visitors to vow never to return due to feelings of being insulted.


	6. Chapter 5: Down by the Wayside

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 5 – Down by the Wayside**_

* * *

The rain had started to fall in a slow drizzle once again as Naruto pulled his black cloak closer to ward off the wet and cold that came with the dismal weather. Having just finished meeting with the last of the business contacts provided by Danzou the young blond was now making his way through the village streets towards the Shugorei ruins.

As he walked Naruto's mind was frantically going over the deals he had just made and the supplies that had been ordered. Many of the owners had personally met with him and taken his orders, even going so far as to cut down prices to the point where barely a profit would be made, this turn around in attitude didn't fool the whiskered Shugorei even the slightest.

"_None recognized me as a Shugorei and a few almost let their tongues slip by calling me a demon, so that means they are just lackeys for Danzou," _Naruto mentally noted. _"From the way most of them acted he must have made it clear that a favorable attitude towards me will be rewarded, though that doesn't seem to have any real impact upon their preconceived prejudices."_

A small frown pulled at Naruto's lips as he thought how surprised some of the merchants had been when he had produced his list of necessary items and the small pouch containing a large roll of money. The men and women that he visited to procure the parts and materials had practically fallen over themselves to help him in his purchases, most likely expecting even greater orders and commissions to come from him in the future. This had stood in stark contrast to how many hadn't even wanted to give him the time of day before his little meeting earlier.

"_Fucking bigoted simpletons,"_ the young Kyuubi container thought bitterly. _"If I didn't need some of those components right away I could afford to be pickier, but until I do a thorough search of Konoha I guess I'll have to keep dealing with them."_

Lost in his grumblings Naruto made a mental list of businesses he would need to look into for the future. It would take a lot to rebuild the compound and he required that the builders have a great deal of discretion when it came time. Not a single person on Danzou's list fit that requirement and Naruto would be damned if he gave any of them the contract to begin the construction of the new buildings and grounds.

"_They're all in Danzou's pocket so anything that I have them do will get back to him easily. I should probably ask Hokage-jiisan who he could recommend seeing as when the compound was built it was the Shugorei themselves who did all of the work," _with that thought a small smirk replaced the frown on Naruto's face. _"If it really came down to it I could try doing it all by myself using Kage Bunshin for my workforce, but while I have confidence in my chakra reserves I can't say the same about my engineering knowledge."_

Letting a small laugh escape his mouth Naruto looked around to see if anyone was close enough to have heard him. Noticing that the road that he was currently on was completely deserted, Naruto let out a sigh at being alone.

"_Hijiji said that I am never alone, but other than the Fox in my gut and the unresponsive Zanpakuto soul within my own I can't see why he would say such a thing,"_ the thought of those last few words put Naruto into a poor mood.

Walking to the next intersection Naruto was suddenly pulled from his melancholy thoughts of what the old Shugorei had meant. At the intersection Naruto realized that he was on the side of the village opposite the Shugorei ruins. This discovery started to turn Naruto from being glum to angry when a small thought wormed its way past his dark feelings as he recognized a familiar park just beyond the intersection.

"_That's the park Hokage-jiji used to take me to when I was still at the orphanage,"_ the small revelation bringing Naruto an even more important memory.

"_If the park is here then that must mean that the orphanage can't be that far away. I haven't seen the matron since I left Konoha with hijiji,"_ reflected Naruto as a smile began to grow and his previous worries were pushed to the side.

Letting chakra flow to his legs Naruto leapt to the top of a nearby building. Vaguely remembering the way to get from the park back to the orphanage the blond looked around until he spied the familiar outline of the old building where he had spent most of his life in Konoha. Having found his destination Naruto began to cross the rooftops until he dropped down into the front courtyard of his old home.

Moving forward to the large, wooden doors Naruto let his hand rise and take the knocker to signal his presence to those within. Waiting patiently Naruto felt himself becoming nervous about having returned to the halls that had once been his home. However, before he could contemplate leaving one of the doors before him was opened and a young female worker of the orphanage greeted him.

"Good evening sir, how can I help you?" the brunette woman asked with a pleasant smile.

Pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts Naruto began to answer hesitantly, "I was hoping to meet with the matron if that's not a problem."

"She is in her office right now so it shouldn't be too much of a problem," the worker responded as she led Naruto into the main hallway of the orphanage. "Whom should I tell her is here?"

Naruto was taken aback for a moment as he would have thought he was easily recognizable. Even though the young woman had only started working at the orphanage a few months before he had left, Naruto easily remembered her as she had helped him draw a picture of ducks for the matron. Realizing that the confusion over his identity was because the hood of his cloak was still covering his head and his voice was muffled by the cloth he had pulled up to protect his face from the elements Naruto decided that it would be best for the moment not to reveal exactly who he was.

"I am simply someone who benefited from her kindness and wish to say hello as I have been away from the village for awhile," replied Naruto as he kept up the ruse that he was in fact someone much older, though he did question why the female worker didn't find it suspicious that a person standing well under five feet was wishing to visit the matron.

"_She better not be thinking I'm a midget,"_ Naruto thought furiously.

Smiling the young woman led Naruto to a familiar door before leaving him to wait as she checked to see if the matron would desire to speak to a visitor. Coming back into the narrow corridor outside of the office the brown haired woman motioned for him to enter before shutting the door and going back to her duties.

Standing in the office that he had been a frequent visitor to back when he had lived within the orphanage Naruto looked to the occupant of the office who was busily finishing a memo. From what little he could see of the wording on the form Naruto thought he recognized it as one of the standard request forms for funding that the Hokage and council often reviewed. As the old woman behind the desk finished writing Naruto silently examined the changes that had occurred to the kindly matron since he had left nearly seven years ago.

The matrons' hair was a bit longer and had been gathered into a thick braid tied off with a light blue ribbon. The hair had started to move from gray to white, but from the determination evident in how the old woman moved her pen one would not be able to cite it as evidence that she had become senile. The spectacles on the bridge of her nose were different from those she had used when she had needed to read or write, Naruto would surmise that they were bifocals and were now required for any daily activity. A sturdy looking cane leaned against the desk and Naruto noted that the grip on the handle had yet to take on a worn look, indicating it was a relatively new addition and possibly only needed in certain situations. However, despite these observations Naruto could see little that would tell him that the old woman in front of him was any different from the one he had last seen bidding him farewell at Konoha's gates.

Seeming to have finished writing the kindly, old matron looked up from her efforts to regard him for the first time since he had entered the office. Glancing back at the form she had finished the matron put the piece of paper together with several others in a small folder before tying a small binding string that would keep the folder snugly closed.

Setting the folder off to the side the old woman spoke for the first time since Naruto had entered the office, "You told one of my workers that you wished to meet with me and so here you are. Would you mind telling me exactly who you are as I have helped many children and people over the years and sadly some of those memories are starting to blur together."

Letting a small laugh escape Naruto pulled his hood back and the cloth obscuring his face down as he spoke, "I would hope that I was somewhat unique when it came to the years I spent in your care matron-baba."

Hearing a small gasp as his sun kissed blond hair was revealed and his bright smile filled his whiskered face Naruto knew that the kind matron had recognized him. Before he could say anything more he was swept into a warm hug that took him back to memories of when he had just been little Uzumaki Naruto. Letting the hug break on its own accord Naruto felt himself being held in a firm grip as the matron looked him over with a careful eye, as if inspecting for every little change that had occurred since he had last been seen by her.

"Look how much you've grown Naru-chan," the matron cooed as Naruto felt his eye twitch slightly at being referred to by the cute little name the matron and several other female workers had coined for him.

Hearing the small giggle in her voice Naruto responded with his foxy grin, "Only you can get away with that name matron-baba."

Moving to sit back at her desk the matron giggled some more as Naruto moved to sit in the chair that was just in front of the large desk. It was the same one that he remembered sitting in many a time, but now his feet no longer dangled as he let himself get comfortable.

"While it does bring back fond memories I think Naruto-kun is far more appropriate now," the old woman spoke. "I hadn't heard anything of how you were doing with Jinjiro-sama so I am a bit surprised to see you here, are you in Konoha for long or is this just a short visit?"

Shifting uncomfortably in his chair as the question was put to him, Naruto answered quietly, "Hijiji passed away a few days ago."

"I am so sorry to hear that," the matron began as she started to rise to move around to comfort the young blond sitting before her.

"Thank you for your condolences," replied Naruto as he waved off the need for the matron to comfort him. "It has been difficult, but I am starting to accept it and move on as prescribed by clan tradition."

The slight lie in those words caught Naruto as he doubted he would ever be beyond the small amount of grief that still remained with him after the small funeral that had been held only the other day. One could also see that the matron wasn't convinced by the statement, but pressing the issue would hardly be helpful.

"What will you do now then Naruto-kun," the kind matron asked with the silent hope that Naruto was going to be alright.

Letting a small smile mask his warring emotions Naruto began to give a brief outline of the plan that had been concocted with the help and approval of the Sandaime. As he told his plan to the matron Naruto noticed that the old woman's eyes had widened in surprise at how much he had truly grown since leaving Konoha.

"And so I'll use my old name to enter the Academy so I can become a genin," Naruto finished as the matron took on a thoughtful posture.

"You've always been a cunning boy, even when you were only five, with how you constantly escaped to go exploring. But this plan borders on being reckless Naruto," voiced a concerned matron. "I'm surprised that Hokage-sama has even agreed to it."

Shrugging in a slight dismissive manner Naruto began answered, "I didn't really give him a choice as if he had pressed the issue I could have used the clause in the Shugorei charter to leave Konoha completely, though I think he knows I have no other place to go and is just humoring me for the moment."

Seeing the small cocksure grin that was forming on Naruto's face the matron easily recognized that the boy in front of her was planning to push the limit of the agreement he had made with the Sandaime. Naruto had always shown that foxy little smirk whenever he thought he could get away with something.

"I know that look Naruto-kun," the matron guardedly spoke. "Be careful, you have grown and have learned much, but you still like to leap before you look. The world you are going to be entering will be very unforgiving if you should make a mistake, it's not a game."

Naruto nodded as he understood this point better than she knew as it had been reinforced with his little meeting with Danzou. He had debated telling the Hokage about it so the old man could counter any threat posed by Danzou, but the fact that Danzou seemed to be able to operate without the Hokage's knowledge told Naruto that right now he had best keep the information to himself for the time being. Until he could be sure of how Danzou operated and got his information Naruto couldn't risk going to the Hokage unless things got incredibly bad. Telling the matron would also be far too dangerous as the old woman had no real protection from any threat Danzou or his allies could pose.

Deciding to try and steer the conversation away from this topic Naruto asked, "How have things been doing here at the orphanage since I've been gone? Too quiet for you?"

"Hardly," the elderly woman chuckled lightly. "While you were a challenge unto yourself the other children can be just as rambunctious, though they don't get into as many difficult spots or cause as many events as you did."

"That incident with the flowers was simply because I wanted to make you some cookies. How was I supposed to know that it was flour that you used and not flowers," defended Naruto as a spot of mirth entered his voice. "And many of those events were not my fault entirely; there were circumstances beyond my control."

Laughing at the attempt by the young blond to defend many of the hilarious accidents that he had taken part in when he was younger the matron felt a twinge as she recalled how at the time she had been terrified for Naruto's sake. The boy had acted like any other child at that age, but there were many who would have used the events to try and take him from the orphanage.

"It's good to hear you are doing well, but I can tell you're trying to hide something from me," Naruto quietly stated. "Does it have to do with you filling out that funding request form? The council decides budgetary matters at the start of the new year and it's a bit early for you to be putting in your planned spending for the next year."

Wearing a false smile the matron responded, "I don't know what you are talking about. I was just doing a preliminary tally of funds needed for…."

The solid gaze Naruto leveled at the kind matron and his calm, but firm tone cut her attempt at lying short as he said, "Jinjiro-hijiji taught me well so that I would be prepared for things when the time came for me to take over the clan. Now what's going on?"

Slumping slightly in her chair the matron looked like a defeated woman as she explained, "Even though the village is experiencing great prosperity right now we haven't seen an increase in our budget for the orphanage, much of it is being diverted to help the merchants and business owners expand so that more goods and services may be offered. I've tried to lobby the council for more funds as the building is old and many things are simply falling apart. On top of that we still have to care for all of the children who live here. The Sandaime has tried to help by moving emergency funds to us and letting many of the orphans attend the academy or the schools for free through subsidies. The large donation Jinjiro-sama made before you left has been rationed to keep things functioning for the time being, but its almost completely gone. Everyday things get a little worse, many of the staff and I are using our own pay to get some of the things the children need, but it isn't enough.

Seeing the kind old woman who had been like a grandmother to him nearly in tears Naruto moved quickly to take her hands to try and comfort her.

"Several members on the council have been advocating plans to deal with the situation, but few of them are in the best interest of the orphanage and the children," the matron nearly whispered as despair seemed to take hold of her. "One of the plans even calls for the best and brightest of the children to be taken and put into some type of secret shinobi training course. Hokage-sama has been able to use his influence and his coalition on the council to stop the measure, but I'm afraid if things don't get better soon the bill may pass and the council will eventually override the veto power of the Hokage."

"_Secret shinobi training program, that sounds too familiar to the 'Ne' program,"_ Naruto thought angrily. _"It seems Danzou has been busy trying to get his little shadow organization to be legitimate once again. I'd bet my life that this is one of the matters he wants Shugorei support on, especially since hijiji helped form 'Ne' all those years ago."_

Naruto sat for a moment not entirely listening to the kind matron as she explained several other plans that had been proposed within the council that would divert some funding and others that were calling for the orphanage to be broken up into smaller facilities. Only hearing bits and pieces of the plans Naruto's mind was frantically searching for what he could do.

"_Hmm, I need to research why Jinjiro-hijiji helped to form the 'Ne' program if I want to try and halt Danzou on this, but breaking with the man could have some serious repercussions," _contemplated Naruto. _"I need to make sure that I have my back covered as Danzou is sure to come calling to find out why I am not supporting a renewed 'Ne' program. The next council meeting is in a few days so I need to work fast, but first I need to do something to slow down the vultures from picking away at the orphanage so quickly."_

"It's a good thing you have friends in high places then," Naruto said with a large grin as he rubbed the weathered hands of the woman who had taken care of him and many other children. "I can use the Shugorei seat on the council to try and get you the funding you need as well as to try and stop any plans that are detrimental to the orphanage. As for the financial situation right now I think hijiji can make another donation to the orphanage that should at least keep it afloat long enough for the political battle to be won."

"You can't do that Naruto," the old woman began to protest. "The Shugorei assets are…."

"Mine to do with as I wish," interrupted Naruto with a reassuring smile. "I am making this donation not just because you need it, but because you and this place took care of me and others when we would have been left in the gutter with nothing. You and this facility put me into a position where I can help, so let me do this. I'm not going to squander all that you did for me by ignoring a problem that I can clearly make a difference in."

"But if you get caught you could face charges of fraud," the old matron argued anyways despite Naruto's resolute facial expression. "With the way that many on the council view you things could turn out very badly if they can get even that little charge against you."

Giving the matron another smile Naruto began to rummage in his cloak as he spoke, "Let me worry about that, besides I plan on making a lot more friends on the council besides the Sandaime."

Pulling forth a small black book Naruto grabbed a pen from the matron's desk and began to write as the matron sighed and said, "There's no way I can talk you out of this you're still as stubborn as you were when I would tell you it was time for bed and you wanted to stay up to hear stories with the older children."

"Just like old times," Naruto laughed as he ran through a few handseals before putting his fingers to the page he had been writing frantically on.

Letting chakra flow through his fingers Naruto affixed the Shugorei seal upon an official clan voucher that would allow the matron to have the funds that he had outlined on the paper. Finishing his work the young blond tore the page out and presented it to the matron.

"Thank you Naruto-kun you don't know how grateful we…," the kind, old woman began before stuttering to a halt as she looked at the check that had been presented to her.

"I hope that will be enough to keep things going until I can get the council to divert funds to you," the whiskered Shugorei Lord smiled as he stood up.

Staring at the young boy she had changed diapers for the matron suddenly exclaimed, "This is too much Naruto, this is almost equal to a quarter of what the entire yearly budget is! You can't give us this much it would bankrupt…."

"It will not even dent the Shugorei fortunes so don't worry about me," interrupted Naruto once again with a smile.

Moving around her desk the matron wrapped Naruto in a hug as she let small tears of joy fall down her cheeks and began to thank him. At that point the old woman had no doubt in her mind that the little boy she had helped raise would shake up Konoha the way no one else ever had.

* * *

The dismal weather that had been plaguing Konohagakure for just over a week was finally beginning to break. The day wasn't perfect as the temperature was still lower than normal due to the cooling effect of all the rain that had fallen, but at least the sun was out now and wispy, white clouds had replaced the gray overcast sky that had blanketed Konoha. Despite the change in weather one person in particular was not enjoying the day as much as others. 

"Yeeow!" one Uzumaki Naruto yelled out as he was hit by a backlash of chakra. "Son of a bitch!"

"**Statement: You should try and be more careful when you work master. I do not think randomly hurting yourself is productive,"** HK-47 said as Naruto shook his numb hands while clenching and unclenching them to make sure they still worked.

Naruto glared at the rust colored guardian as he continued to examine his hands to make sure he hadn't actually damaged them permanently. He had received the parts and materials that had been ordered yesterday, though of course they had not been delivered directly to the ruins as that would've been a foolish breach of security. Instead Naruto had picked up his orders through the liberal usage of his clones and had already installed the parts to replace his cobbled together repairs. With many spares to make sure he wouldn't have to deal with the situation for quite a number of years Naruto had gotten the subterranean facility running at full capacity. While the generators whirred and filled the many reserve batteries Naruto had created a number of Kage Bunshin to begin the tedious process of cleaning the entire complex and exploring every inch of space. During this time the original whiskered blond had decided to start repairing the security functions of the ruined compound.

Moving through the ruined buildings and overgrown landscape Naruto had found many ruined seals that were limiting the range and capacity of HK-47 to function and carryout his security duties. Repairing the seals had become a priority when Naruto realized that having HK at full power would mean he could easily defend the compound should Danzou or anyone else come about uninvited. However, the process of redoing the security seals was both a long and painful process as this was the ninth time he had hurt himself after having already redone nearly twenty seals with close to thirty more to redo. He had been working since mid-morning and would clearly be working into the evening as it was already mid-afternoon, hopefully he would be able to speed up the process as he became more adept at the repairs. Focusing back on the seal he had been working on Naruto began to channel chakra and work the seal to connect it back to the established network of over a hundred security seals.

"Oww!" Naruto yelped once again in pain as he finished the seal and got a small shock as a confirmation that it had connected fully to the security network.

"**Adamant Plea: Please master, I need these seals master. Do not destroy them out of frustration," **the rust colored HK implored as he watched Naruto furiously kick the large, cracked boulder that this particular seal had been placed on.

Letting another glare blaze at the reddish-orange guardian Naruto grumbled to himself. The slightly psychotic guardian of the Shugorei compound had been less than helpful as Naruto had repaired the security seals. Once too often HK had let a few sarcastic remarks slip out for a frustrated and humorless Naruto to hear. Needless to say the lone Shugorei was becoming quite fed up with the sentinel and had contemplated finding the main seal buried within the underground facility and destroying it just to have a few moments of peace as he tried to affect his repairs. Only knowing that repairing the ungodly complex seal would be nearly impossible and consume far too much time and effort, not to mention he would probably hurt himself numerous times during the process, had stayed Naruto from carrying out the idea every time he thought of it. However, that didn't mean he couldn't punish the rust colored sentry a bit as Naruto pushed a concentrated beam of chakra into part of the seal.

"**Aaugh! What are you doing master? Please stop, remove the chakra! Remove the chakra! Medic!" **HK wailed slightly as Naruto's chakra weaved through the seal in a way that caused a large disruption in HK's form.

"If I didn't need you so much I would dismantle you," growled Naruto as he cut the small Shugorei technique regarding the workings of the seals that he had read about in the archive earlier.

Almost panting as he reformed HK responded, **"Observation: You are a very harsh master, master…I like you."**

Letting his head droop as he sighed Naruto thought, _"I try to discipline him and he takes it like I am rewarding him, he's not only psychotic but also masochistic."_

While silently bemoaning the situation he now found himself Naruto picked up the small scroll that he had written notes on repairing the security seals in. Pocketing the scroll he began to move into the forest that surrounded the Shugorei compound to find the next seal that he had mentally mapped out earlier while exploring. Moving between the large trees and through the brush Naruto was followed by HK who needed this particular seal so as to be able to monitor this section of the perimeter.

Finding the seal within the stump of a fallen oak Naruto sat down and began to run a diagnostic to see what was exactly wrong with this particular seal. One of the greatest problems that Naruto had encountered was that not every seal was damaged in the same way. Some were partially disrupted, others were just turned off because of the override command that had shut the seal down to avoid damage when it had been hit by the demonic chakra of the Kyuubi no Youko, and a few seals had simply been destroyed and needed to be rebuilt completely. That last category was by far the easiest to deal with for Naruto as rebuilding a few of the seals had shown that he was less likely to be hurt by fluctuations from the seal network connecting to the new seal, though it did mean he had to spend a greater amount of time working on it when compared to the others.

Finishing his diagnostic Naruto found that this particular seal was the second easiest category of the seal, simply being turned off and only requiring that the override command be reset. Grinning, Naruto knew that this meant he wouldn't have to spend a great deal of time on this seal, though there was a chance that he would get a shock when he pushed his chakra into the seal to reset it. Preparing to do so Naruto began to run through a few handseals before suddenly cutting his chakra and raising his head to glance about the wooded area he now sat in.

"**Cautionary: It would appear we are being observed by a small group of meatbags that have surrounded us,"** HK stated quietly before letting a hint of glee filter into his voice. **"Statement: Charging weaponry and awaiting your command master."**

Standing up and deciding that just allowing HK to kill whoever was observing would probably cause more problems than it was worth Naruto called out, "I know you're out there so why not do us all a favor and show yourself before things get nasty!"

Highly expecting to get a kunai or jutsu in response Naruto was surprised when he heard the rustling of the underbrush around him. Standing ready to attack or defend Naruto was preparing to let HK loose upon the intruders when suddenly a small form came out from underneath a bush just in front of the young Lord Shugorei.

Staring at the intruder Naruto was shocked to see an orange fox with black markings on its feet and the tips of its tail and ears emerge to sit before him. Even odder was the way that the animal had moved. The moderately sized fox had approached holding itself in a way that showed it was nervous and looked to be almost acting in deference to Naruto.

Moving his hand from the pommel of the katana on his back to scratch his head Naruto wondered out loud, "A fox? Well this is a bit odd and here I was expecting assassins or at least an angry villager."

"**Observation: The furry meatbag is not alone master, I count a number of similar presences still surrounding us,"** HK informed Naruto before almost cheerfully asking, **"Query: May I terminate them master?"**

"They're just foxes HK, other than the one that's currently jailed within me I don't think we have much to worry about," Naruto answered calmly as he tried to ignore the psychotic sentry. "Seeing as they're just regular foxes, no you may not terminate them."

"**Resignation: Very well master, but promise me I will get to terminate a meatbag sometime soon,"** a sullen HK-47 responded hopefully.

"Maybe in the future but for right now I need to figure out why this little guy and his buddies are here," a slightly disturbed Naruto responded hesitantly while looking at the fox that had yet to move from where it had stopped in front of him.

Cocking his head slightly Naruto wondered out loud, "It's not like I can just ask this fox what it wants or anything, so what do I do now?"

"**Statement: I could always destroy…,"** HK began to speak before stopping as Naruto launched a hard glare in the direction of the orangey-red protector.

"What did I just say?" Naruto growled irritably. "I need an idea that doesn't involve termination of any sort right now."

Waiting to see if the rust colored sentinel would actually come up with anything, as HK's eyes were glowing and he had tilted his head to indicate he was thinking, Naruto was stunned to suddenly hear a series of barks and yips originate from in front of him. Turning his attention back to the fox Naruto looked at it again with curiosity as the fox let out another stream of yips, growls, whines, and barks.

Raising an eyebrow Naruto asked confusedly, "Did the fox just try talking to me, because for a few moments there I thought I recognized words coming from it."

"**Statement: My audio sensors detected the furry meatbag's noises, but I do not detect anything close to words master,"** noted HK as it moved closer to Naruto. **"I do recognize a pattern within the noises, but that is the extent to which I can detect any sign of language and I have access to the entire language index of the Shugorei archives master."**

Naruto nodded in response knowing from his lessons with Jinjiro that the Shugorei had devoted a vast space in the archives to classifying and recording any and all languages that had been encountered throughout the clan's history. Having only glanced at the section Naruto still knew that the information within was extensive and included several languages that were considered dead.

"_This is insane,"_ thought Naruto as he actually contemplated trying to speak to the woodland creature.

Looking back to the small forest creature Naruto cocked an eyebrow and hesitantly asked, "Are you trying to talk to me?"

A single yip came in reply and strangely Naruto thought he registered a small 'hai' being assigned to the noise. Feeling slightly weird as it wasn't everyday that someone thought they could understand animals, unless they were going crazy and he silently prayed that wasn't the case for him, Naruto took a few deep breathes to try and calm himself.

"Okay, I think you are trying to communicate with me, but I am having difficulty understanding you," Naruto began to explain, feeling slightly odd that he was talking to the fox and even stranger when the small vulpine cocked its head as it seemed to listen to him. "Maybe if we could take this a little slower we can figure out what's going on."

Watching the fox almost nod Naruto felt himself wondering, _"Am I going nuts or something? Who would I even go to see about something like this, any mention of me talking to foxes would immediately bring up the fact that I am the vessel for…."_

Naruto's train of thought was interrupted as realization hit him, _"The Kyuubi no Youko, that has to be why I can almost understand this fox."_

Focusing on that for a moment Naruto internally debated, _"It's not like I can simply go to the furball and ask him for help, he'd make some snide remark and then threaten to eat me like he did last time."_

Hearing a new series of barks and yips Naruto was drawn from any further thoughts on the matter of how the Kyuubi could be impacting him in such a way. Listening carefully the whiskered blond noted that the chain of noises was coming a bit slower and he was able to understand a few things. Naruto clearly picked up on 'help', 'refuge', 'food', and 'Tono'.

As his mind tried to put things together Naruto became slightly worried at the word 'Tono' as he had clearly heard a tone of almost pious respect being associated with it when the fox had barked.

"_I've go a bad feeling that 'Tono' might be in reference to me as this fox seems to almost be acting subservient to me,"_ Naruto thought worriedly.

Swallowing slightly as his throat felt dry all of a sudden Naruto turned to HK and relayed what he had thought he had understood, hoping the guardian may have some insight into the matter.

"**Statement: It would appear that the furry meatbag is mistaking you for the Kyuubi no Youko master. Most likely this is due to your chakra signature having a preeminent marking of the demon's chakra,"** supplied HK.

"But what would the local foxes want with me?" Naruto asked hoping that it wouldn't be anything sinister.

"**Supposition: There is a ninety-eight percent probability that the miniature meatbag is part of the local fox population that is ruthlessly hunted by many within Konoha, doubtless he is requesting your assistance in some manner,"** offered the orange eyed guardian.

"And the other two percent?" Naruto questioned before thinking.

"**Explanation: Two percent probability that the furry meatbag is simply looking for trouble and needs to be terminated, but that may be wishful thinking on my part master,"** HK answered promptly.

"Yeah…I'm going to go with the idea that he's asking for help," answered a slightly perturbed Naruto. "How bad is the hunting?"

Hearing a number of growls and yips from the fox Naruto concentrated to try and understand more of the feral language than he had before. Letting his mind focus Naruto thought he heard a broken sentence this time.

"Th**e**y c**ome**…yip, yip, bark,…take…growl, whine…k**i**ts…whine…**poi**so**n**…bark, bark, yip…fu**r str**ip**p**ed…howl!"

Shaking his head slightly as the words were broken and confusing Naruto tried to piece together the meaning of the fox's statement.

"So the villagers, they hunt you and attack your young when they are vulnerable. They use poisons in your food supply and when they catch you they strip off your pelts. Is that what you are trying to tell me?" inquired Naruto in an attempt to understand the fox further.

Another short yip which Naruto had identified as a yes resounded from the orange and black fox as the creature seemed to eye him longingly.

"You want me to help you…um, protect you and stop the villagers, right?" Naruto questioned hesitantly as he wanted to make sure there were no mistakes in understanding each other.

"**H**ai!" yipped the fox almost joyfully as Naruto seemed to be gaining an understanding of the situation.

"I can understand the villagers being afraid because of Kyuubi, but to let it go for this long they must be insane," worried a frustrated Naruto. "Killing off the fox population would have serious consequences on the environment not to mention it would piss off Inari as foxes are his favored creatures."

Slumping back onto the stump with the seal he had planned on working upon Naruto found himself with a new problem to deal with, one he wasn't sure he really wanted as it could add to his own. Thinking hard Naruto tried to weigh the pros and cons of helping the fox.

"_If I help him it could be very questionable and problematic when my heritage and status as Lord Shugorei are revealed," _Naruto reflected. _"On the other hand this fox really has no one else to go to and hijiji always said Shugorei have to be honorable, so I can't just ignore the problem and hope it goes away."_

Feeling himself torn between wanting to look out for his own interests and wanting to do the right thing Naruto spotted the orange and black fox staring at him expectantly. Examining the creature Naruto noticed that the poor thing was thinner than he had initially suspected and its fur wasn't as full or as colorful as it should be for this time of year.

Sighing with his mind made up Naruto asked, "Are there others like you that need help?"

The fox let out a sharp bark and suddenly a rustling was heard about the underbrush as foxes appeared to surround Naruto.

Turning to regard all of them Naruto did a quick head count and examination of the creatures. In total there were probably ten or so adult foxes with maybe half as many juveniles and only a handful of kits. All of them had a lean look to them like the first fox did, though each had its own markings and distinct coloration to blend in with the surrounding forest.

"**B**ark, yip…th**is** al**l**…growl, yip, yip…l**e**ft…whine, whine…for**es**t." the fox that had first approached Naruto let out, breaking Naruto from his visual inspection of the small group.

"This is it?" questioned Naruto in surprise, as he had thought there would be more needing his help, until he realized what the fox had meant. "You mean this is the entire fox population in the forests of Konoha right now?"

"H**a**i," the fox let out a sullen yip that revealed its sorrow and fear, as well as the needs of its kind.

"This is insane, this is absolutely insane!" Naruto yelled as he began to curse the village. "The people of Konoha have almost been waging genocide against you and your kind!"

Cursing some more before calming down slightly, as it seemed to have startled the poor animals, Naruto began to regard the foxes again saying, "Alright here is what is going to happen. I will try and stop the hunting and until then you can live in the area of my compound."

Seeing the foxes didn't understand what he meant when he had mentioned his compound Naruto stood up before pointing to the stump and saying, "Do you see the markings on this stump? Similar markings are throughout this area, so long as you stay within the perimeter or close enough to it that you can escape here if needed you will fall under my protection."

Hearing a number of barks and yips in response Naruto got the feeling that he had been understood, though his ability to hear the foxes' feral language was being taxed as so many of them were clamoring loudly now. Trying to focus to understand Naruto's concentration was broken by HK.

"**Cautionary: Doing this will put you in jeopardy of being revealed to the general populace master, something you have explained is detrimental at this point in time,"** HK warned with a faint hint of protest tainting his voice. **"How can you offer to protect these tiny, furry meatbags and still hope to remain secretive?"**

"Oh that's simple HK, I have you to do the protecting for me," grinned Naruto as he had finally found a solid use for the psychotic sentinel.

"**Protest: I am meant to guard the Shugorei property and secrets master, not diminutive meatbags such as these,"** stated HK with a touch of venom.

"But if you don't protect them then Shugorei property will be damaged and secrets will be revealed," countered Naruto with a smirk. "Besides doing this will allow you to terminate and injure more meatbags and you want that don't you?"

Seeing the rust colored guardian having a moment of frustration as it seemed to internally debate the extra duty with its love of killing, Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit happy at having gotten a little revenge on the entity that had been annoying him throughout the day.

Having reached a conclusion HK spoke, **"Statement: I have decided master that this duty will be a great opportunity for me to further demonstrate my skills to you."**

Chuckling lightly as his argument had worked perfectly Naruto replied, "Just so long as none of these foxes are harmed on Shugorei lands you are allowed to deal with violators as you wish."

"**Appreciation: Oh thank you for giving me the opportunity to waste some meatbags in your honor master,"** HK responded. **"I will try to refrain from using tactics and methods that are illegal, though I can't make any promises master."**

Feeling doubt and worry rising up within himself once again Naruto quickly asked, "What do you mean by illegal, you're simply fulfilling your directives as the guardian of the compound."

"**Explanation: I was once warned by the Sandaime when he came to visit that terminating meatbags belonging to Konoha, given the circumstances of the termination and the method, could be termed 'very illegal' or 'slightly illegal',"** HK supplied as he looked at Naruto.

"What's the difference?" asked Naruto as he regarded the psychotic sentry.

"**About twenty years master,"** HK deadpanned.

Blinking a few times as he got the meaning of what HK had said, Naruto chuckled a little bit before responding, "Let's just make sure we're not at fault when the time comes."

"**Observation: Of course master, I am a law-abiding guardian. Yes indeed, law abiding. That's me!" **HK stated as his eyes seemed to pulse with mirth.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind the next time you request permission to terminate someone or something," Naruto stated with a small laugh at the rust colored guard's antics. "Alright then I need to get back to work or I'll be out here all night fixing these damn seals."

Giving a nod to the small group of foxes Naruto set back to work repairing the security seals with HK looking on and providing color commentary when the disturbed sentinel thought it was needed.

"**Statement: That is not it master. No, that is not it either,"** HK stated smartly as Naruto let his chakra work within the seal.

As the foxes began to disperse to inspect and explore their new refuge they heard a small yelp and then curses coming from the area that they had left Naruto in.

"Gods damn it!" came a furious yell as a small chakra pulse was felt.

"**Sigh: That is the power circuit master."**

* * *

It had been only a day since Naruto had agreed to help the foxes of Konoha and two days since he had promised to make sure the Konoha Orphanage was preserved according to the matron's wishes. Currently the young Shugorei, under the name of Uzumaki Naruto was walking down the street to meet up with the Sandaime at the entrance to the Konoha Ninja Academy.

He hadn't even seen the building or met anyone who went there and already Naruto was beginning to loath the place despite the beautiful weather the day seemed to promise as the morning sun began to warm the day.

"_There're so many other important things to do right now, but if I don't meet up with jiisan he's going to come looking for me and then there'll be hell to pay," _Naruto silently bemoaned. _"Why did I have to agree to actually attend, I'd rather be going to the council meeting that's scheduled to start later this morning than sit around with some stupid shinobi wannabees."_

As he walked Naruto pulled at the new and uncomfortable clothes that he now wore. Naruto had taken Danzou's advice and had ditched his traditional, black Shugorei kimono in favor of some clothes he had ordered. However, having lived in kimonos and training robes for nearly the past seven years had made the transition back to regular clothes difficult.

On his feet Naruto wore the standard blue leather sandals that many of the villagers seemed to wear, though he grumbled about them not being as good as his wicker sandals and the split toed socks that he normally wore. Moving up from his feet a pair of orange pants caught the attention of nearly everyone that saw him. Naruto had decided that orange was his color as he had seen it in so many instances since having returned to Konoha. The color was loud and noticeable; Naruto thought it was the perfect way to thumb his nose at what the Academy represented as shinobi training.

Naruto's torso was an even more interesting sight. Predominantly Naruto wore a royal blue vest that had been zipped up so the collar touched just below his chin. The vest had been custom ordered as it had a durable steel mesh layered inside its cloth layers to give some protection should Naruto need it. Under the vest and poking out on his arms Naruto wore an orange shirt that had sleeves running down to stop and just about his elbows, though the material had been bunched slightly there because of the way the joint moved. Once again Naruto thought it was a perfect way to raise notice of himself and mock the standards that the Sandaime wanted him to conform to.

Hurrying his pace slightly so as not to be late Naruto's final accessories were also noticeable. Around his right leg he had strapped a kunai pouch which was fully loaded and at the small of his back he had a small supply pouch that held some shuriken as well as a few scrolls that had some necessities sealed into them. Naruto knew that almost none of the kids who would be attending classes would be carrying the standard shinobi weapons, but wearing them made him feel more comfortable as he hoped it would denote that he wasn't like these wannabees.

Two other items were being worn by Naruto and these were more important to him than anything else on his person. The first was the katana that he had been training with since Jinjiro had started his lessons in the Shugorei styles of fighting. The sword was in its customary position on his back with the handle peaking over his right shoulder for easy draw and use should the need arise. The other item that Naruto wore was a pair of bluish-green goggles on his forehead and these were considered even more important to him then his sword.

When Naruto had turned nine years old he and Jinjiro had been trekking through the wastelands of Wind Country and had to deal with the constant flying dust and sandstorms. Even though they had wrapped their cloaks about themselves to ward of the annoying and sometimes dangerous grit Naruto had been getting the stuff in his eyes constantly. Stopping in one of the trade centers stretched out across the various trade routes crossing Wind Country and connecting the Elemental Countries to the far off Western Lands, Jinjiro had purchased the pair of goggles as a present for Naruto. Considering that the old Shugorei often only got him presents that would further his training, such as scrolls or new weapons, Naruto had been ecstatic to receive the gift.

When the pair had returned to their home in Tea Country Naruto had carefully preserved the goggles in a sealing scroll until he had come to Konoha and move into the Shugorei compound. Even now the goggles fit and worked perfectly, but were far more valuable to Naruto for the memories they held then any other function they could perform. Wearing them now was a way for Naruto to keep his Shugorei heritage in mind while still following the Hokage's orders of hiding his abilities.

Finally reaching the small courtyard of the Konoha Ninja Academy Naruto spotted the Sandaime waiting next to a large tree that had a small swing hanging from its branches.

"Good morning jiisan," Naruto greeted with a smile as he tried to hide his annoyance for being forced to come to the place.

"Good morning Naruto," the old man returned as he glanced to the young Shugorei turned Uzumaki.

Looking over the whiskered boy's choice in attire the Hokage coughed slightly before saying, "Don't you think orange is a bit too noticeable Naruto? Not to mention that you won't require those weapons here as the Academy provides what you require for training purposes."

Giving a deceptive smile Naruto answered, "I like orange, besides you want me to hide who I am and there is no better way to do so than hiding in plain sight as hijiji always said. As for the weaponry, its mine and unless you don't want me attending I won't give it up."

Catching the small hint of steel in the voice of the young blond the Hokage argued, "While I can applaud you for using your brain to think of a clever solution to hide who you truly are I must insist that you seal away your weapons if you are going to enter this place."

"But why should I be forced to do that Hokage-jiji," inquired Naruto with a fake look of confusion to humor the man. "Many of the other students have access to jutsus and techniques that can be just as deadly, surely my wanting to use my own weapons follows the rules that allow them to learn skills that are outside the purview of the Academy?"

Seeing as this was one argument that he wasn't going to be able to win and that Naruto was playing for time to avoid having to actually enter the place the old Sandaime harrumphed before speaking, "Very well, but if one of your teachers takes them away don't come crying to me about it."

Watching a small predatory grin quickly form and then fade from Naruto's face the Hokage nervously thought, _"Bad decision there Sarutobi, the boy is just like his parents and Jinjiro. Naruto's now simply waiting for an opportunity to create a little havoc and you just let him have circumstantial permission."_

Fighting down his worry at what may occur the aging Hokage motioned for Naruto to join him as they entered the doorway and proceeded down the hallways of the Academy.

"Things are going to be interesting today," Naruto neutrally stated breaking the silence that had formed as the two walked together.

"And why would that be?" Sarutobi asked hesitantly as he hoped the boy wouldn't be planning on destroying the building simply to avoid continuing to come to classes. "I thought you didn't want to attend the Academy?"

"Oh I wasn't referring to that, I think you'll find a few things that are…different when you attend the Village Council meeting later," supplied Naruto enigmatically. "I've sent some orders to Ayeka and she should have received them this morning, just in time to make the Shugorei's position clear regarding a few things."

Stopping well short of the desired classroom that Naruto would be entering the Sandaime eyed the young boy at his side while sternly asking, "What have you done Naruto?"

"Smiling at his grandfather figure Naruto replied calmly, "I visited the matron the other day and needless to say I am a bit pissed about the funding issue that has arisen. The orphanage is receiving another donation from the Shugorei to keep it safe and secure while the political battles are waged, but I am not going to let the place be taken over by those who wish to only further their own desires."

Knowing that Shugorei support on the issue would help get things back to where they needed to be Sarutobi nodded firmly in understanding. Right now he was quite proud of Naruto for proving to be a good person besides trying to prove to be a good shinobi.

"You do know there are some people who aren't going to like what your support will cause?" 'The Professor' cautioned to see if Naruto would fold under the threat of strong opposition and repercussions.

Looking the old man in the eye Naruto answered without hesitation, "I may be young and playing from the shadows, but I will not back down on any issue that I feel needs to be addressed unless a better solution is presented that will satisfy my interests."

Smiling at the young boy Sarutobi commented, "You're a good boy Naruto; promise me you'll never lose that."

Blushing slightly in embarrassment from the praise Naruto hurried to catch up to the old Hokage, who had used the moment to make his way down the corridor to the doorway of the classroom that would be Naruto's for the year.

"There's no way to talk you out of this right now is there?" Naruto questioned hopefully. "I could be far more useful elsewhere than reviewing basics."

"Not a chance," the Hokage answered curtly as he rapped his left hand on the sliding door before pulling the door open and walking in.

Following behind somewhat dejectedly Naruto was greeted with the sight of a large amphitheater style classroom. Many young preteens like himself sat in the rows of connected desks that tiered one side of the room, though Naruto didn't pay them much heed as he was more interested in what was going on between the Hokage and two young chunin. Both were male and stood attentively before the Hokage as they exchanged pleasantries and a few small quips while Naruto noted their features.

The first one had a fully tanned skin and brown hair tied into a small, bushy topknot at the back of his head. The man wore his forehead protector proudly in the traditional spot and the blue cloth that held it complimented his light green chunin vest and blue shirt and pants. The man seemed to be getting along well with the Hokage and Naruto noticed that the man also had a large scar crossing the bridge of his nose when the man laughed at a joke made by the old man.

Shifting his gaze to the other instructor Naruto began to note the man's features. Just as tall as the first man this one had shoulder length silver colored hair that was left to hang loosely in a way that framed his face. The man had similar attire on as the first with a matching chunin vest and dark blue clothing, though he lacked the forehead protector that the first wore. Naruto assumed that the man probably had it customized in order to be worn distinctly at times that were far more important than simply teaching children.

While he examined the two instructors Naruto distinctly noticed that many of the wannabees that were seated in the classroom had stopped paying any attention to the situation. Many were conversing loudly amidst themselves about things that were far removed from what would normally be discussed in the classroom by the teachers and students. Others were leafing through books and magazines that ranged in topic from heroic tales of great shinobi to what Naruto thought he recognized as a small hentai manga that he had seen perverts reading during his travels. One boy was munching happily on potato chips while his neighbor looked as if he had put his pineapple head down to sleep. One loud boy was conversing with a small white puppy that sat on his head indicating to Naruto that the individual could possibly be of Clan Inuzuka. Next to the possible Inuzuka Naruto noted another boy who looked to be sitting quite still as if trying to ignore his loud neighbor. Looking more towards the stoic boy Naruto felt a sudden chill when he locked his gaze with the sunglasses that hid the eyes of the boy.

"_It seems there are a few people actually paying attention right now,"_ Naruto silently noted as he hardened his gaze and allowed his eyes to take in a few more students. _"Besides the stoic mute, there's also a girl up in the third row. Hmm, from her eyes I would say she's a Hyuuga and since I don't see a seal or any bandages on her head I would guess she's from the Main Family as well…interesting. In addition to those two I also see that boy over to the side with the black hair in the shape of…wait is that a duck-butt?"_

Before he could contemplate the odd hairdo on the boy who seemed to be sizing him up Naruto had his thoughts broken as the Hokage turned and began speaking to him.

"Naruto I would like you to meet your new chunin instructors," the old man began as he indicated the two men standing with him.

"Umino Iruka, but you can call me Iruka-sensei," the scarred instructor said with a smile.

"Touji Mizuki or Mizuki-sensei as that's what most of the other kids call me," said the silver haired instructor in a manner that was a failed attempt at acting cool.

Looking at both men Naruto lied with a small grin, "Uzumaki Naruto, a pleasure to meet you."

As his name hit the two chunin Naruto noticed that both men seemed to tense for a few moments. Iruka seemed to take things better as the man at least offered the normal pleasantries despite the small twitches that were noticeably running through him. However, it was Mizuki who ruined the pleasant introduction.

"Pardon me Naruto," the man nearly growled in a sickly sweet tone. "But you can't wear weapons in the class room I'll have to confiscate them from…."

As the man stretched out a hand to grab Naruto's sword, Naruto grinned slightly as his left hand shot out to grasp Mizuki's arm while his right hand grabbed his sword's hilt and loosened the blade from its scabbard.

"Warning, touch my sword and I'll remove your arm meatbag!" Naruto spoke loudly in an unforgiving voice as his eyes took on a predatory look promising to carry through on the threat.

That one little statement brought the entire classroom to a smashing halt as the students became silent and focused solely on the incident that was unfolding out before them. Iruka looked stunned by what was occurring, while Mizuki looked like he was ready to have kittens. The Hokage had one of the best reactions as the old man let his left hand come up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he mumbled out a small curse.

Smirking Naruto inwardly chuckled, _"I can't believe I just said that…I've been hanging around HK a bit too much lately, though using meatbag seems to have really pissed Mizuki off. Oh look it seems he may actually try me right now."_

Just as Naruto thought Mizuki attempted to pull back on his arm and reach with the other one towards the sword being grasped by the young blond. Letting his smirk grow Naruto was fully prepared to take away one of the arms when his fun was interrupted by the stern voice of the Hokage.

"Naruto let go of Mizuki and stop threatening people," the Hokage spoke as he let a hard glare hit Naruto. "And Mizuki, I have already given Naruto permission to carry his weapons, the boy has spent the last few years traveling away from Konoha and those weapons have become part of his life."

Seeing that the Hokage wasn't in a mood to be questioned Naruto did as he was ordered and watched Mizuki recompose himself and move to the other side of Iruka and the Hokage.

Iruka must have noticed that the students were intently watching the incident as he suddenly decided to take charge of the situation and redirect it so that class could proceed.

"Thank you Hokage-sama," the scarred man said. "Now would you like to introduce yourself a bit more properly to the class young man or should I do it?"

Catching the hint of mirthful annoyance in the man's voice Naruto turned to face the class and simply said, "Uzumaki Naruto."

Iruka seemed to blink for a few moments at Naruto's plain statement before continuing, "Do you have anything to add to that? Perhaps tell the class a bit about yourself?"

Controlling the twitch that would normally strike his eye when he became annoyed Naruto sighed as he knew with the Hokage present he wasn't going to get away with refusing to say anything further. Deciding to humor the situation Naruto thought for a moment before coming up with what he thought was a better introduction.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I have been traveling throughout the Elemental Countries these last few years and have returned to Konoha to register as one of its shinobi," stated Naruto with a small smile to hide his feelings of frustration and irritation. "I enjoy training, traveling, ramen, the color orange, and having fun."

Looking back to Iruka and the Hokage the young blond hoped that this introduction would be more sufficient to them and he would be allowed to end this silly little joke. Catching a nod from the old Hokage and a small smile Naruto focused on Iruka to see what would be required of him next.

"That's better Naruto, I hope you will enjoy your year here at the Academy and make many friends amongst your classmates," the scarred instructor stated before pointing to an empty seat amongst the students. "You can sit up there for today as I don't actually have the students sit in a particular order."

Giving an almost unnoticeable nod of acceptance Naruto moved to take the seat which he saw was next to the young female Hyuuga that he had noticed earlier.

As Naruto moved to take his seat the Hokage addressed the Iruka, "Well I am glad that everything is settled here as I have a council meeting to be getting to."

With a small poof the old man exited the room and Naruto was left to listen as Iruka turned to begin the day's lessons.

Listening half-heartedly Naruto caught the man talking about the basic jutsu of Kawarimi and sighed as he began to think in despair, _"I can't believe I'm going to have to put up with this crap for the rest of the year. I'd rather be doing something even if it was simply getting shocked by those damn security seals again!"_

* * *

The Konoha Village Council was, as most legislative bodies are, a hive of scum and villainy known by the moniker of politicians. Many knowledgeable individuals tried hard to stay as far away as humanly possible from the large building that housed the legislative branch of Konoha's government. However, many were required to attend the meetings of this body and almost to the person they cursed their luck for having to be there. 

"_Just another wonderful fucking meeting," _an older woman clad in a ceremonial robe thought miserably as she took her seat before the day's meeting commenced.

The woman was old, in her early sixties, but she still had her auburn hair done up into a small bun held at the back of her head by two simple white sticks. She had aged very gracefully and only a few wrinkles and lines showed on her lightly tanned skin. No makeup was worn as the woman had never been a fan of the stuff and had let her natural beauty always speak for her when she was a young kunoichi; why stop a trend that worked was her thinking. Her robes were plain in design and cut, as they were colored in simple shades of red and black. However, here position on the council was easily conveyed by the fact that the robes had been tailored from fine silks.

Yes, Ayeka formed a fine picture as the steward for Clan Shugorei, though if she had been asked several years ago if she ever thought she would be placed in such a position she would have simply laughed it off and gone to enjoy herself and spend time with her grandchildren. However, she had been the wife to Oda, a devoted servant of Clan Shugorei and when Shugorei Jinjiro had appeared in person on her doorstep just under seven years ago she had found herself placed into this position of power and prestige.

Her husband had been a good shinobi and quite loyal to Clan Shugorei, particularly to Jinjiro as he had followed the man into battle on several occasions. When the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha, Oda, herself, and the rest of their family had been living on the other side of the village from the Shugorei compound and had survived the slaughter that had occurred. Ayeka never understood why Oda had relocated the entire family only a year and a half beforehand as he had only told her that he had been commanded to by Lord Tesshin himself. Part of Ayeka thought that it might have had to do with the fact that Oda had joined Shugorei Jinjiro on the unsanctioned mission that had turned into one of the greatest atrocities committed by Konoha ninja, but she had never been able to prove so despite the fact that Oda and his family were to be held blameless in the deal struck by Jinjiro and Tesshin. When she had opened her door several years ago and seen Shugorei Jinjiro before her Ayeka had immediately been filled with dread as the man was known for being vengeful and her family was one of the few links that Konoha still held to the fallen clan. All of the other surviving former servants had left Konoha after the Shugorei had been destroyed, but her family had stayed mainly because Oda had commanded it and the fact that they had too many ties to the village to simply up and leave.

Her fears had been mistaken when the reinstated Lord Shugorei had made her an offer to become the steward for the clan while he was away from Konoha on business. Truthfully she had wanted to say no, but part of her knew that the Shugorei Lord wouldn't take kindly to the rejection. Another part of her had accepted in the hope that Jinjiro would finally fulfill the old contract that Oda had bargained before he entered into the services of the Shugorei. Said contract extended to her and all of Oda's descendents the promise of one day being incorporated into Clan Shugorei as official members instead of as servants. While some of her children felt that the contract was a sham and were working hard to live their own lives, Ayeka faithfully carried out her duties as Lord Jinjiro's voice on the council.

Sitting quietly Ayeka thought about the new orders she had received from Jinjiro earlier that morning. Like all of his orders Jinjiro was straight to the point and had outlined his position in a way that left no room for any misinterpretation to occur.

"_I'm not too surprised by his stance on the orphanage as he did make a large donation to them before he left after visiting me and from his explanation he has made another," _Ayeka thought quietly as she watched the other members of the Village Council move about before taking their seats. _"However, I'm not to sure on his other orders, but he is my Lord and I must do my duty in carrying out his commands."_

Letting her thoughts drift away Ayeka refocused on the real world as the council session was called to order by the Sandaime Hokage. Listening to the small role call being taken the Shugorei Steward thought about the seat she now occupied.

Many people were not aware of exactly how complex the Konoha system of government truly was as it was probably the most democratic of any of the hidden village governments. While the Hokage was selected to rule for life, or until he appointed a successor that was approved by the council, and had nearly complete control over military matters he was still limited in his actions by the will of the village as expressed through the council. The legislative body could override any veto made by the Hokage by a two-thirds vote, yet on the flipside could vote the office emergency powers during a time of crisis so as to circumvent the representative institution.

Such events had occurred during all of the major conflicts Konoha had participated in as well as during and after the Kyuubi no Youko attacked. It was after the latter event that the Sandaime had used those extra powers to enact a law protecting one Uzumaki Naruto by limiting knowledge of the sealing of the demon and making any breach have severe consequences.

As the role got to her Ayeka silently raised her hand to indicate her presence as she looked at her fellow council members and thought about how the legislative body was organized as the entire branch was located in a building separate from the better known Hokage Tower.

The room that she now sat in was the main council chamber and was organized like a large circular amphitheater. Curving around one side of the room was a set of eight large tiers where the main council body sat. Each tier was organized differently as it represented a different group within Konoha and the lands that it controlled.

The first tier was the smallest, yet the most powerful of all eight. It was here that Ayeka herself sat as the tier was exclusively reserved for the powerful shinobi clans of Konoha. Sitting alongside her were Clan Heads and the representative stewards of the great clans. In this tier sat the Hyuuga Head, the Aburame Head, and the Uchiha Steward as well as others.

Moving up to the second tier one would find a slightly larger group made up of the Fire Daimyo's local vassal lords and their representatives along with people that Konoha deemed to be VIP's. The local lords controlled some of the lands surrounding Konoha, but were mainly there to act as the eyes and ears of the Daimyo who resided in the capital of the Fire Country. The VIP's were people who had earned the respect of Konoha and were either civilians or low ranked shinobi that had been granted special privileges.

The next group of the council actually occupied the third and fourth tiers. This group was far larger than the first two and was made up of the jounin, special jounin, ANBU Captains, and elected shinobi representatives. It was this group that voted for and primarily represented the entire military forces of Konohagakure.

Even larger than the shinobi group was the civilian representative group that occupied the fifth through sixth tiers. Made up completely of civilians the group represented the interests of the civilian populace both within Konoha and in the surrounding territory that fell under Konoha's jurisdiction. Some of the civilian representatives were elected to their positions following the districts that Konoha had divided itself and its territory into so as to adequately represent the civilians who provided goods and services such as trade, agriculture, and other fundamentals. Along with these elected civilians a group of appointed civilians sat. These men and women represented the seats reserved to the many different guilds that aided Konoha's economy.

The final two tiers, seven and eight, were considered to be open seats. These rows were setup so that any shinobi or civilian of Konoha could attend and voice his or her opinion on an issue. Unlike the other tiers these last two did not possess voting powers and were merely for the purpose of allowing issues and opinions be voiced from people who would normally not be heard in other governments.

Across the polished wood floor that had the large leaf symbol of Konohagakure inlaid in its surface was a set of pulpits that sat facing the tiered council. The center and largest pulpit was designated for the Hokage and his assistants. To the left was a more ornate pulpit that was vacant as it was only used when the Fire Daimyo actually came to Konoha and visited the council chambers. On the right of the Hokage's pulpit was a smaller pulpit that was also vacant as it had traditionally been the seat for the ANBU Commander which Konoha had still not replaced since the last one was lost to the Kyuubi. The final set of pulpits sat directly in front of the others in a long bench arrangement and was lower so as to not be a blockage. These pulpits were occupied by the senior most council members such as Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Danzou the former 'Ne' leader.

Breaking from her thoughts Ayeka heard the strong hammering of the gavel held by Homura as he called the meeting to order.

Waiting until the floor was opened Ayeka rose up from her seat as she was recognized by Koharu who was keeping track of the representatives and the rules of order.

"Fellow representatives," the Shugorei Steward began in a firm voice. "I bring you greetings from Lord Shugorei. He expresses his dismay at not being here in person once again, but has learned of several issues that face Konoha that he can't stay silent upon."

Seeing the Hokage eyeing her critically and hearing the other representatives remaining silent out of respect she continued, "It has come to his attention that this council has repeatedly squandered funds that would be best spent elsewhere for Konoha's benefit, he specifically cites the lack of funding that has been provided for the Konoha Orphanage which serves the village well in taking care of the children whom have suffered the tragedy of losing their families."

"This institution has long been a pillar of our village and provides more than just shelter, food, clothing, and basic services," Ayeka argued as her voice took on a hard tone to better convey her point. "The children who live within the orphanage are provided an even greater gift than these. The matron and her workers have striven to provide each child that enters and leaves their care with a sense of love and belonging which is desperately needed to ensure a healthy development for these young ones."

"Lord Shugorei implores the council to no longer turn a blind eye to the needs of this venerable institute," the Shugorei steward continued as she turned her gaze upon many of those who were seated behind her. "This council was designed with the sole purpose of governing Konoha by representing not only its majority, but by also protecting its minorities. While the children of this village may not yet be a constituency to many of you they are a group that we can not ignore without imperiling the village's future."

As she finished the plea she had been instructed to deliver by her lord and began to sit down, Ayeka heard the rustle of cloth and scrape of wood from behind her that signaled that another representative was rising to speak. Turning to face whomever it was she noted that the man standing up in the center of the fifth tier was a rotund individual that she knew quite well as he represented the construction and buildings guild of Konoha.

The large man's jowls quivered as he spoke, "While I respect your lord and applaud his concern over the needs of the orphans, I must remind you that there is no surplus in the budget to divert to the orphanage at this time. All funds are currently being used to support our economic growth and provide incentives for businesses to expand their operations. Such things are far more important than…."

"I doubt any of the orphans eat as well as you do guild master Bunzei, one may think that it is not simply the businesses that are expanding, but those who own them," Yamanaka Inoichi stated coming to Ayeka's aid. "You and others say that there are no funds to be had, but I and others have reviewed the budget and believe the economic stimulus package that you and the other merchants have implemented could be trimmed to provide the adequate funding needed."

Seeing Bunzei turning red as he took the first insult about his weight and then the second that he and his fellow merchants were stingy and greedy made Ayeka and a few other representatives chuckle lightly.

Before Bunzei could utter a response the attention was diverted to one of the vassal lords by the name of Daichi. Ayeka noted that the man looked like a rat dressed up in ornately designed robes.

"There is already a proposal before this council to settle the issue regarding the orphanage," Daichi began in a somewhat whiny tone. "Many of you agree with me that Konoha would be best served by having many of the children taken into the protective custody of a new shinobi training program. This would provide the orphanage with fewer children to take care of as well as a base for future manpower and…."

"Your proposed training program is a farce!" Ayeka angrily interrupted the rodent like man. "We all know that while you were the one who proposed it the program is really the product of Elder Danzou who already knows that he is disallowed by both mandates from the Hokage and this council to recreate his 'Ne' program."

This statement set the council ablaze as representatives leapt to their feet and began to argue over the issue of the orphanage, Danzou's involvement, and the 'Ne' program. Ayeka even detected a few voices calling her and her lord fools as Homura called for order and the council recomposed itself.

As the order returned Hyuuga Hiashi stood and was recognized to speak. This worried Ayeka as the Hyuuga Lord was a major power broker and could torpedo the entire argument and her lord's wishes. At the same time Hiashi was somewhat of an enigma as he often used the quiet resolve of the Hyuuga to avoid the major arguments that erupted in the council chambers.

"While you bring up a good argument to support the orphanage further Ayeka-san," the Hyuuga Head calmly spoke. "I do wonder why Lord Shugorei would instruct you to argue against a program that echoes one he helped to create decades ago. Perhaps you would be kind enough to enlighten us to his thinking?"

As Ayeka rose to address the Hyuuga she inwardly seethed. The man had worded himself in a way that did not display whether he was for or against her as well as putting it in a way that was forcing her to distinguish that it was in fact her lord and not herself that was decrying the attempt at recreating 'Ne'. Admitting so was treacherous as Jinjiro had never publicly denounced the organization after he left it to be run solely by Danzou.

"Jinjiro-sama has instructed me to reveal his reasons Hyuuga-sama," began Ayeka as she heard several gasps. "My lord believes that at the time of its creation and for some of the time it was active 'Ne' fulfilled its role as a clandestine group acting in Konoha's best interests. However, he believes that the induction of orphans, both from shinobi and civilian families, can no longer be morally justified as Konoha is not in the state of emergency that it was when 'Ne' was first created. That being said he has instructed me to inform you that he still supports the idea of a new 'Ne' program with a different base to draw candidates from."

"And what base does he suggest these candidates come from?" Tsubasa, the current steward of the fallen Uchiha Clan, asked snidely.

Giving the man a hard stare as she personally detested the man, who gave all stewards a bad name as he seemed to work for his own interests rather than fulfilling his duties, Ayeka responded smartly, "Jinjiro-sama suggests using the Academy graduates who pass the academy examination, but fail to earn a spot on a jounin led team."

As murmurs began to erupt from many council members, the ANBU Captain representing the Division of Counterintelligence and Clandestine Affairs rose to speak.

"And what is his logic regarding such a choice?" asked Usohakkenki Takara as she stood without the normal ANBU uniform hiding her features as she was too well known to care about remaining secretive.

Staring at her one time teammate Ayeka addressed the other old woman, "His logic is that these potential genin have already demonstrated skill enough to get through the Academy and simply require further refinement to become acceptable shinobi of Konoha. Jinjiro-sama regards sending them back to the Academy or dismissing them to civilian life as a waste of a potentially valuable resource. If placed into an adequate training program these young trainees could easily become a base for the ANBU to expand its manpower and operating abilities."

Sitting back down Ayeka heard a number of other representatives stand to debate the issue. The Shugorei Steward wasn't concerned with them really as the real clincher would be Danzou. Jinjiro had warned her that the man was clearly behind the attempt to reform 'Ne', something she already suspected, and that the second part of the Shugorei proposal to help the orphanage was to satisfy the powerful elder who had been a political ally at times for the clan. Watching said scarred man carefully Ayeka noted that he was keeping his features schooled in a calm mask of disinterest, that was until he decided to stand and be recognized to speak.

"While the debate here today has been a true testimony to the great governing process that we hold so dear," the deformed Elder began in a tone to placate the arguing membership. "I must agree with Lord Shugorei and his representative. While it is no secret that I hope to keep Konoha strong and prosperous, I agree that inducting orphans would be a morally ambiguous proposition. It is a far better solution to support the Konoha Orphanage fully and consider Shugorei-sama's proposal for failed genin."

As Danzou finished his statement and sat back down, Ayeka glanced to the various people in the council chambers. Most of the opposition that had occurred earlier seemed to have dissipated with Danzou's support thrown behind the Shugorei proposal. It seemed a majority of the council was ready to support the idea as well as the proposition for training failed genin. Only the Hokage seemed to be perturbed as the man had a frown on his face as he smoked his pipe.

Tabling a vote for the two propositions for a time after they had been fully developed into workable legislation Homura directed the council to examine several other bills and proposals.

Ayeka listened intently as members put forward plans. She voted for the expansion of the irrigation network for the farmers in Konoha's southern district that had been proposed by the local representative. When the vote came for a bill that would direct funding towards the redevelopment of the defunct Uchiha district she voted nay as she and many others knew that the Tsubasa was trying to buy up the land for himself by using his position inappropriately as the proposal was a clear conflict of interest.

"_I should talk to a few other people and see if we can't get a proposal to replace him with someone who will actually force young Sasuke to take a hand in learning how to manage his assets,"_ contemplated Ayeka as it was clear the young Uchiha was ignoring the actions of his current, greedy steward.

The meeting ran throughout the end of the morning and into the afternoon as the council members only broke from debate for a few short times of conferral and a single lunch hour. Finally a call came for any final proposals before the council would break for the day as it was already moving into the mid-afternoon and the membership had only had a few breaks for conferrals and lunch.

Preparing to rise to her feet to address the last order her lord had sent her Ayeka was halted as another member was given leave to speak.

"Fellow representatives," a young and newly elected civilian representative began. "It has come to my attention that a problem once thought gone from Konoha has made its return over the past few days. It has wormed its way back into our midst like a parasite and is now seeking to endanger our young shinobi."

Ayeka listened to the young man whom she didn't recognize as he had only been elected a month or two prior during the spring elections. However, she did hear many representatives mumbling the confusion she also felt as the man continued to vaguely describe an potential threat to Konoha.

Finally having enough of the riddles Akimichi Chouza stood asking in his deep voice, "Be clear, what exactly are you talking about?

The young representative faced turned to regard his fellows as he loudly said, "I speak of that blight upon our village known as Uzumaki Naruto!"

Many of the gathered council members began to growl and curse the young demon vessel as the representative began to rail against the boy.

"I discovered during one of our recesses today that he is actually being allowed to attend the Konoha Ninja Academy and is in the class preparing to graduate in the spring!" the new representative stated with repugnance in his voice. "We must stop the Fox from…."

The man was cut off as representatives began to yell and Homura banged the gavel in an effort to restore order to the chaotic room. Ayeka even noted that the Hokage had risen to his feet and was trading barbs with some of the older representatives in the fourth and fifth tiers.

Ayeka herself was sitting and thinking about the whole situation. Personally she had nothing against the boy and hadn't ever actually met him or even seen him. From what she understood he had disappeared from Konoha under the protective orders of the Sandaime who had refused to inform the council to the boy's whereabouts, even going so far as to risk being censured by the council for his uncooperative stance. Her lord had also not provided her with any orders regarding the boy and seemed to be letting her make her own decisions regarding the matter. However, before she could think further on the young, whiskered blond Ayeka was brought violently from her ruminations as a loud bang silenced the room.

Looking to see the source of the noise Ayeka saw that Danzou had stood and fired off a small burst of chakra into the space between the pulpits and the tiers. The burst had acted like a large firecracker and gained everyone's attention to the scarred Elder.

Using his good eye the stony faced man sent a harsh glare at the young representative that had broached the topic of Uzumaki Naruto.

"You would do well to remember that there is a law that prohibits the mentioning of certain aspects of Uzumaki's condition," Danzou growled as he let a bit of killing intent slip to show his resolve. "The boy wishes to serve Konoha as a shinobi and it is my understanding that Hokage-sama sent him traveling to learn some skills that he would have been barred from learning within Konoha do to some of you being prejudiced against the boy."

Standing tall from his own pulpit the Hokage followed up Danzou's remarks with a threatening, "Be very careful what you say next young one as it could seal your fate."

Ayeka watched as the young representative seemed to quake in his place as he drew the ire of two of the most powerful and respected shinobi present. She almost burst out laughing as the man stuttered out a withdrawal of his previous statements before sitting down while silently shaking.

As calm began to return to the room Homura once again called for any other issues to be presented and Ayeka quickly caught the eye of Koharu who recognized her right to speak.

Foregoing the pleasantries she had used to open up debate last time Ayeka began to speak, "It has come to the attention of the Shugorei that several farmers and granary officials have reported an increase in rodent populations and detrimental animal predation upon crops and stored food. They have reported an that there has been a marked increase in pests such as rats, mice, rabbits, and even gophers which have been causing them to lose a substantial amount of produce from both their fields and storage areas."

Hearing a few concerned whispers Ayeka readied herself to drop the bombshell that she had been commanded to introduce and do something about.

"It would appear that this increase in the pest population has come with the decrease of one of their most adaptive predators and I have confirmed this with a biologist from the University in the capital that the agricultural guild hired to investigate the problem," the Shugorei Steward announced as she pointed back to a bald, yet fit looking man sitting in the seventh tier with a large stack of notes and assorted documentation. "I would like to invite him to come down to the main floor so as to present his findings if it pleases the council."

"By all means," Koharu stated simply as she indicated that the man should stand before the council.

As the man descended the stairs that cut through the tiers to the floor Ayeka thanked whatever gods had been watching, especially Inari. When she had gotten her orders earlier she had little evidence and support to use to argue the order that had followed that of the orphanage dilemma. Honestly she was going to wait to raise the issue at the next proposal meeting next week, but during her lunch break she had gotten lucky.

While she had sat having lunch at one of the nearby cafes she had overheard a meeting being held at a table crowded by representatives of several of Konoha's farming districts, the local agricultural representative, and the Konoha's master of granaries. They had been arguing over the issue of presenting the findings of the biologist they had hired, worried that they would be dismissed for not having a member with the clout necessary to gain the attention of the more powerful representatives. Ayeka had interrupted their arguing and had offered to help if they could present her with the data and proof necessary so she didn't appear like a fool.

The small coalition had agreed as it wasn't everyday a powerful person such as the Shugorei Steward offered to help you out without demanding something substantial in return. Ayeka had listened intently to them and their specialist throughout lunch and had even picked up the bill much to the small groups' surprise. She had considered it the least she could do as she had almost been divinely given the tools needed to fulfill Lord Shugorei's orders.

Focusing back to the present Ayeka noted that the biologist had completed setting up his presentation and began to listen as he explained the situation.

"As Ayeka-sama was so kind to point out there has been a dramatic increase in rodent and pest populations over the last few years," the professor began as he shifted through a few tables to show how the populations had been holding stable only to explode over the last decade. "These little critters are having an incredibly detrimental effect on the agricultural production of several key farming districts, so much so that if the trend continues Konoha will face the need to buy excess grains, fruits, and vegetables from elsewhere in Fire Country or even from other countries as the trend looks to potentially hit other areas of the Land of Fire."

"So what is causing this?" an unknown councilwoman asked. "Ayeka-sama mentioned that it is because of the lack of a predator correct?

"That is correct," addressed the biologist. "The cause is the loss of a natural predator and that loss is occurring due to the near genocidal hunting that many Konoha shinobi and civilians have been carrying out against this predator."

Ayeka smiled slightly as the man explained while avoiding the word fox. She had warned him that if he didn't wait for the opportune moment to drop that bombshell he would be dismissed as many of the representatives would curse him out of the chamber.

"Which predator are you talking about?" a merchant representative asked.

Looking to the gathered representatives the specialist answered firmly, "I am referring to family _Canidae_ tribe _Vulpini_, otherwise known as the fox."

As that last word escaped his mouth the chamber erupted as members began to yell and shout obscenities at the biologist and the representatives of the districts that had hired him. Thankfully order was restored by the Hokage who cracked down his hand to snap attention to himself.

"You must forgive many of those present," the Sandaime attempted to apologize to the bald man who seemed to suddenly be afraid for his life. "Foxes are generally a taboo subject here in Konoha."

"It is understandable given certain events, but your taboo is causing the destruction of the balance in the local environment," the professor of biology responded in an unyielding, yet hesitant tone.

Before another outburst could occur Aburame Shibi was recognized and began to speak, "Just how far out of balance is the system?"

Sighing, the biologist seemed thankful that someone was actually asking an intelligent question, "From my zoological survey I can honestly say that the local fox population is bordering upon extinction."

A few cheers tried to rise up but Homura's gavel quickly put an end to any celebration.

"Because of this extremely low level I am required by law to inform the Fire Daimyo of this case and recommend that he use his powers to enforce the animal conservation and protection laws that govern endangered species within the jurisdiction of the Land of Fire," the biologist stated resolutely.

"It has actually reached that point?" Shibi continued to question in surprise, as the Aburame were well known to be attuned to the natural world, valuing balance, logic, and order.

"Yes," the naturalist answered calmly. "I estimate that it reached that level a few years ago and the local population will barely be able to hold on for another few years unless action is taken."

As the man finished a number of representatives began to protest and applaud the hunting that had been carried out to try and exterminate any and all foxes. Once again it took Homura banging his gavel and the intervention of the Hokage to restore order. Rising to her feet once again Ayeka addressed the gathered council as order was restored.

"I have a strict decree from my Lord Shugorei regarding this matter," she strongly asserted. "Regardless of any actions taken by this council to stop the slaughter or to condone it, the Shugorei position will be condemnation of any further practices aimed at harming the local fox population until such a time that an independent zoological survey is presented confirming the populace has been stabilized at numbers that are acceptable by conservation and preservation law."

Ignoring the jeers and heckles coming from the gallery and some of the other representatives she continued, "Shugorei-sama has further decreed that any and all foxes residing within Shugorei lands are hereby protected as Shugorei property. Any and all attempts to damage or destroy said property will be seen as an attack upon Clan Shugorei itself and will be met with force of arms."

The room once again erupted into protests as many wondered how the elderly Shugorei Lord could make such a threat. Shugorei Jinjiro was now known for staying away from Konoha since his exile and had only returned once when he had been reinstated. While the man had been seen as a powerful shinobi and politician many of the younger council members did not respect or fear him do to his absence and advancing age.

As Koharu and Homura attempted to restore order Ayeka yelled out gaining everyone's attention, "I am to inform you that the automated security systems that protect the Shugorei compound and the Shugorei lands are once again fully functional and will automatically deal with anyone who attempts to test the resolve of Clan Shugorei."

As she sat back down Ayeka heard insults and even a few threats aimed towards her and her lord as many of the gathered people began to launch into shouts of outrage. Thankfully she had grown accustom to such verbal barbs and ignored them to see what the actual political players on the council would do.

Banging his fist back down to gain everyone's attention again the Hokage asked with a sour look to his face, "Ayeka-san, do you mean to say that the guardian of the Shugorei compound has been reactivated and is functioning under its primary protocols?"

Knowing that the Hokage was vaguely referring to one HK-47, whom Ayeka had always found to be an interesting creation while she had still lived and worked directly in the Shugorei compound, she answered without hesitation, "Yes Hokage-sama, Lord Shugorei has led me to believe just that."

"That's insane!" protested an angry Inuzuka Tsume. "How can you justify killing trespassers who simply want to put down a few mangy beasts?"

"Lord Shugorei believes these animals to be vital to the well being of the environment of Konoha and the country," remarked Ayeka coldly as she glared at Tsume. "If you or any of your flea bitten dogs decide to test the Shugorei security system you will end up just another meatbag that will need to be carted away after it is through with its task."

Intervening to avoid a potential fight between the Inuzuka matriarch and the Shugorei Steward the old Sandaime interrupted with, "While I do not approve of Jinjiro's methods or reasoning I can not find any fault with him or the Shugorei Clan as they are protected under their charter with Konohagakure, just as every clan is, in regards to defending their lands and property."

Staring at the irate Inuzuka and many other angry council members Sarutobi continued his speech, "Seeing as the Daimyo will be forced to enforce the mandatory requirements prescribed by law, I believe it is unnecessary to remind you and your constituents that as citizens of this country any violators of the protection act will be met with the full brunt of the prescribed punishment."

While many representatives were still grumbling and silently complaining, not a one dared to openly challenge the issue further. It was one thing to test the resolve of the Hokage, but to openly challenge the Fire Lord was tantamount to committing an act of treason.

The current ruler of the Land of Fire was an old samurai at heart and that explained much of his logic. While he had ruled for many years in peace not a single person could forget their history lessons which described in detail the terrible ruthlessness the man was known to exact upon those who were traitorous. Never had the Daimyo ever shown the smallest bit of leniency towards anyone who openly defied the laws of his country.

With the issue finally closed by the fact that any further debate would only lead to someone saying something almost treasonous, Koharu called the session to an end without making another call for new business. Ayeka actually smiled as she left the chamber because in truth she had never had as much fun representing Clan Shugorei as she just had during this last council session. The issues that she had been ordered to present had been heard and now it seemed that the Konoha Orphanage would get its funding while remaining protected just as the local fox population would be helped by the mandatory laws of the Fire Country.

"_Yes, definitely far more fun than I've had since I took up this position,"_ Ayeka thought with a proud smile.

* * *

As the afternoon moved to early evening one Uzumaki Naruto was found making his way along a forested path that led to the back end of the Shugorei compound. Having just left the Academy only a half hour ago he had decided to take the roundabout way as it would allow him to avoid meeting up with the villagers who undoubtedly had finally heard of his return. Currently the young blond was thanking his lucky stars for allowing him to finally get out of the Academy and avoid having to deal with any of the other students today. 

After taking his seat in class Naruto had found himself nearly bored to tears as he listened to the two instructors ramble on about the three basic jutsus, Konoha's history, shinobi theory, and chakra makeup. It had taken an extreme amount of willpower not to fall asleep or try and knock himself unconscious to avoid the droning lectures that were being passed off as education.

One of the few high points for Naruto had been when he had skipped lunch to fill out a few forms that had been left by the Hokage regarding his attendance at the Academy. The task had been a welcome relief from the boring morning lectures and the lunch period where Naruto knew he would be mobbed with questions from the other students if he had stayed in the classroom to eat. Thankfully Iruka had allowed him to use the small office reserved for the scarred chunin to fill out the forms in peace. Naruto had been needlessly meticulous in his task, mainly to avoid finishing to quickly and being forced to return to interact with the other students.

"_Foolish wannabees,"_ Naruto thought in annoyance as he regarded his classmates poorly due to his witnessing what their shinobi education consisted of as well as their few actual skills.

After squandering his lunch hour Naruto, along with the rest of the class had been led by Iruka and Mizuki to a small training are to cover some basic skills. Once again Naruto had to force himself from screaming in frustration as he watched the other students try in vain to demonstrate the simple art of throwing kunai and shuriken.

Many of the students were just plain terrible at the skills as they hit on average three or four times out of ten. To hit anything below eighty percent when the targets were stationary, only thirty yards away, and not actually trying to kill you was to Naruto's mind an example of just how pitiful the Konoha Ninja Academy was in training students. During his own turns he had aced the entire thing and had earned surprised praise from many of those in attendance.

Despite his frustrated observation Naruto had noted that there were just over a dozen or so students that hit seventy percent or higher in both the kunai and shuriken throwing. These students, Naruto noted, were mainly members of well established ninja families and clans. A few exceptions seemed to exist as one pink haired girl had hit sixty percent of her shuriken and seventy percent of her kunai almost every time she got up to the throwing line and a lazy boy who had been identified as a Nara only hit fifty percent with both as if the act was too much trouble to be concerned with.

After the basic throwing skills had been practiced Naruto and the others had been tested on their usage of Henge and Kawarimi. Once again it had been almost painful to watch for Naruto, though he did note that the same set of students who had done well in the previous skill clearly dominated the basic jutsu tests.

The boy that Naruto had noted earlier with the black hair in an awkward shape that had made him think of water fowl had been at the top of every test and demonstration. Naruto had found out quite quickly from the roster sheet and the small group of girls that cheered the boy that he was none other than Uchiha Sasuke.

Personally Naruto had found the boy to be somewhat more interesting than what he had expected having read only a small brief on the sole Uchiha member. The other boy had shown a quiet aloofness that bordered on coldness as he rarely talked and tried hard to avoid his fans. Naruto respected that as he himself was trying to avoid interacting with others too much. However, what had set the hidden Shugorei member off about Sasuke was the fact that while the boy attempted to give the 'cold-shoulder' to everyone, he seemed to drink in the praise that was being heaped upon him as the apparent best in the class. These observations made Naruto consider the other boy to be what Jinjiro-hijiji had always termed as 'a prick'.

After class had broken up for the day when mid-afternoon rolled around Naruto had found himself still tied to the place. While he had been attempting to depart quickly and quietly to avoid the other students, who were starting to gather in their cliques and circles, Naruto had once again been snagged by Iruka to fill out more forms in the chunin's office.

While this had given Naruto an excuse to avoid the other students, who were preparing to go off together in their usual after-school rituals, it had meant another few hours spent confined to the building in order to properly register. However, as he had been finishing the last few forms Naruto had received an unexpected visit from an ANBU member who dropped off a small scroll from the Hokage.

Just thinking about the contents of that scroll caused Naruto to laugh a bit as he made his way down the path to his home.

The Hokage had sent him a brief message that had conveyed the old man's mixed feelings of what had occurred at the day's council meeting due to the prompting of the Shugorei Steward who was unknowingly following Naruto's orders. The words had shown the old man's pride in Naruto for apparently convincing the council to support the orphanage fully. However, the scroll had also displayed the Hokage's annoyance at the provisions that had been included about the local fox population, though Naruto suspected from the wording that the Sandaime was more miffed about the decrees that had been made about the Shugorei security system. The message had been ended with a small promise that the two would meet sometime later to have a small chat about things.

Continuing to laugh lightly as he neared the perimeter of the Shugorei compound Naruto amusingly thought, _"If Hokage-jiji wants to display his annoyance at my political meddling I'll be sure to let him know my annoyance at being forced to be included with those idiotic shinobi wannabees."_

Finding the idea of causing further annoyance to the old man and Konoha in general to alleviate his boredom interesting, Naruto almost missed the four shadows that were moving independent of those produced by the surrounding forest.

Falling into a defensive position incase the shadows proved to be hostile Naruto glanced over his shoulder to spy one of the security seals that dotted the perimeter. As the shadows moved to surround him a small pulse of orangey chakra announced the arrival of HK just as the system was designed.

"**Warning: You have entered the grounds of Clan Shugorei. Remove yourself swiftly or I will terminate your pathetic meatbag selves,"** the rust colored guardian threatened as it moved to cover Naruto and protect the young Shugorei from harm. **"Gleeful Request: Please make a wrong move meatbags so that I may indulge in ceasing your illogical existence."**

Swiveling his head HK's eyes seemed to pulse like tiny fires as he prepared to terminate the intruders by lifting his arms and charging them with chakra. Naruto let a smirk cross his face as he had previously seen a demonstration of HK's abilities shortly after having moved into the hidden facility of the compound.

HK was a unique security system for many reasons. Primarily this was because he was sentient and could make decisions on his own in reference to his base orders. On top of that was the fact that as a solid chakra construct HK could attack targets using both physical and chakra based attacks. HK's primary mode of termination was to use the chakra based weapon systems in his arms that could launch several Shugorei jutsus as well as streams of fire, freezing ice, and a bolt of electricity. If those skills didn't work or were too noticeable for the task at hand HK would use his brute strength and sturdy metallic limbs to bash, snap, break, twist, and/or stomp his opponents in the effort to terminate them. Naruto had also noted in one of the scrolls describing HK that before their destruction the Shugorei had been attempting to develop accessory weapons for the compound guardian that would actually shoot bolts of pure chakra, unfortunately all of the attempts had failed for varying reasons.

Readying himself next to the slightly psychotic HK, Naruto prepared to draw his katana or shoot off a few jutsu if the intruding shadows decided to test HK's resolve. Shifting his weight Naruto noticed his metallic guardian preparing to attack when a familiar figure appeared before the duo.

"Do you always greet friends in such a way Naruto-kun," Danzou stated glibly as he hobbled towards the young Shugorei under the guise of Uzumaki.

Sending a hard stare at the crippled man Naruto replied calmly, "When they come with armed shinobi unexpectedly I do."

Smiling towards the boy as he stopped a few yards away Danzou neutrally said, "These men are simply acting as my bodyguards, one needs to be careful considering your rusty companion there."

"**Statement: One word from my master and I will terminate you and all of your fellow meatbags, so tread carefully scarred one," **HK interjected as he had yet to move from his preparations for combat.

"If I knew you wouldn't rely upon such a security system as that monstrosity I wouldn't have felt the need to bring my men," spoke a clearly annoyed Danzou as the former 'Ne' leader eyed HK with disdain. "One could argue that your use of him is cheating when compared to the flesh and blood guardians the rest of us are forced to use."

"**Statement: Cheating is a relevant term foolish meatbag as it only applies when one is caught,"** the rusty orange sentinel said as he traded barbs with the scarred man. **"Otherwise it would be viewed as intelligence, no?"**

"He does have a point there, as shinobi the concept of cheating is a gray area to us," Naruto interrupted Danzou as the young Shugorei wanted to stop the verbal sparring before it escalated further. "Perhaps you would be kind enough to explain to me why you are here Danzou-san."

Focusing back onto Naruto, the Konoha Elder answered, "I came to congratulate you on your political successes this morning Naruto-kun."

"You were able to save your little orphans while still providing me with the support I need to reconstitute 'Ne'," Danzou stated as a small grin appeared on his scarred face. "Your little maneuver of suggesting the failed genin nominees was a stroke of genius as Konoha loses time, money, and resources by letting them return to the Academy or simply become civilians."

"I'm glad that you approve Danzou-san," said Naruto plainly. "However, it will still be difficult to get the proposition passed as the Hokage will be against the idea."

"There are ways around that problem Naruto-kun," the old man replied darkly. "Hokage-sama isn't as strong on the issue as he thinks and I can assure you that when the time comes he will find it hard to stop the implementation of your suggestion."

Naruto nodded while keeping his face neutral in response to the scarred man's boast. Personally the young Shugorei was unsure about if he actually supported the idea. Originally he had come up with it in the hopes of not only placating Danzou, who seemed to have been behind the idea of taking some of the orphans to recreate 'Ne', but also as an alternative for himself should he decide to simply skip the academy, but still pass the final exam to become a genin. Now that he saw the degree to which his suggestion had pleased the former 'Ne' leader, Naruto wasn't sure if he liked the idea of helping Danzou undermine the Hokage, who had always acted as his surrogate grandfather figure.

"While your first proposal was brilliant I will admit that your second left even me confused," Danzou plainly stated in regards to the issue of Konoha's foxes.

"What can I say, I'm a friend to the environment," sarcastically replied Naruto. "Not to mention that my steward won the Shugorei a great deal of political clout and support from the agricultural lobby and the environmentalists. I'm sure that will makeup for any inconvenience that may occur for you when dealing with the issue."

Chuckling Danzou used his good eye to examine Naruto while saying, "Oh you have earned more than just points with those groups. You probably haven't heard yet but it seems that your little political stunt coincided nicely with the research of a specialist brought in on the behalf of several key farming districts. The man found that population levels put the local foxes well into the endangered and near extinct categories, which means the Daimyo himself is going to get involved."

Caught slightly by surprise by that revelation Naruto hesitantly asked, "The Daimyo? Why would he need to get involved?"

Making a small clucking sound with his tongue Danzou explained, "Tsk, tsk Naruto-kun. The Daimyo is bound by law to intervene whenever a species of plant or animal native to the Land of Fire is threatened with extinction. His will on the matter is absolute and few of the fools on the council or in the capital would dare challenge him even on such a trivial matter as the local fox population."

Seeing Naruto slowly realizing the impact that this would have the disfigured man continued with a wicked chuckle, "That's right, because of your actions the Shugorei will most likely fall into the spotlight of the royal court. The Daimyo is always looking to thank people who work in his and the country's best interest. I doubt he will take kindly to Jinjiro's absence when the time comes, of course I am always available to render assistance to you…."

With that Danzou trailed off as he moved back into the shadows of the forest to leave Naruto to ponder the implications. The shadowed ninja that had accompanied him also disappearing and leaving the disguised Lord Shugorei and his clan's guardian to stand alone.

Worrying slightly Naruto knew he would definitely have to meet with the Sandaime now to avoid a disaster for as it stood he alone couldn't see a way out of this without paying whatever price Danzou would demand for assistance.

"_If worse comes to worse I could always let HK run wild while I slit open my belly,"_ Naruto thought with a macabre humor to deflect his anxiety.

"_**I highly doubt it will go that far young one."**_

Surprised by the gruff voice Naruto quickly refocused himself and spun to take in his surroundings to see who had addressed him. Seeing HK still on guard in case Danzou had left anyone behind to try something, Naruto felt odd that the rust colored guardian hadn't made a comment about the new intruder.

"_**Oh I'm no intruder boy…you should be grateful for that at least."**_

Suddenly feeling a new sense of worry grab hold of him Naruto furiously thought, _"Whoever that is they're highly adept at remaining hidden, not even HK seems to be detecting them."_

"_**Better than you could ever know…I wonder if you have what it takes to find me?"**_

"Show yourself coward!" Naruto yelled as he drew his katana to face his mysterious antagonist.

"_**I see you have a temper there, good you're going to need it."**_

Spinning to look in every direction as he grew frustrated with the owner of the voice Naruto became angrier when he heard nothing but the normal woodland sounds, his own anxious breathing, and HK who was moving next to him.

"**Query: Is something wrong master?"** HK asked in a puzzled tone. **"Is there some meatbag you wish to be terminated?"**

Angrily glaring at the reddish-orange sentry, Naruto growled, "I want whoever was mocking me just now found and brought back here so I can remove their head."

"**Observation: I am confused master, are you referring to the scarred meatbag and his group…I would gladly tear them apart slowly for you master,"** HK gruesomely avowed.

"Not them, the person who was talking after they left," stated an angry Naruto who couldn't understand why HK didn't understand what he was talking about.

"**Resignation: I am sorry master, but I have detected neither the presence of nor the audio signs of anyone else in the area since the crippled meatbag left,"** answered HK as he tilted his head to regard his master with what would have been an odd look had the guardian been human.

Growing worried that someone had been able to contact him without HK becoming aware, Naruto grew even more frustrated as he stood there and heard a soft, mocking laughter reminiscent of the voice slowly dieing away to leave him alone with the Shugorei guardian.

"_Just you wait whoever you are. When I get a hold of you you'll know damn well the wrath my temper holds," _Naruto silently vowed as he stomped his way home with HK following closely behind as to provide security should the voice reveal itself.

* * *

**AN:**_ One more chapter done and countless more left to go. I had originally planned that his story would only take thirty chapters plus the prologue, but as I finish Chapter 5 I can now say that such a plan was overly optimistic. Each chapter is slightly different from my original outline as I have added details and development to make the story better and help it to progress. As it stands now I have no idea how many chapters this thing is actually going to be in length, which both excites and worries me. I have said it before that I will not abandon this fic until I have finished it so even if all of you out there stop reading I will continue to produce chapters, even if it's simply for my own enjoyment. I hope you enjoy this and the rest of the story._

_Thanks,_

**Tyrchon**  
-,-


	7. Chapter 6: Living in Lies

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 6 – Living in Lies**_

* * *

The Konoha Ninja Academy is considered to be one of the pillars that makes Konohagakure one of the greatest powers of the Elemental Countries. Almost every single great ninja and kunoichi had at least spent some time there when still in their formative years. Whether it was Hatake Kakashi, who had graduated at the before unheard of age of five, or one of the Legendary Sannin, who had held the previous record of being only six when all three had graduated, very few shinobi of the Hidden Leaf had never actually attended the venerable institute. The main exception to this rule had been those shinobi that had helped to form Konohagakure and later the Academy.

Currently Uzumaki Naruto was sitting in said institute trying desperately not to fall asleep as one Umino Iruka delivered a history lesson regarding those founding shinobi of Konoha.

It wasn't that Naruto didn't find the founders interesting, hardly as he had often enjoyed the tales told to him by Jinjiro about the whole event. However, listening to the epic tales told by his hijiji was far different from the droning lecture that Iruka was delivering.

"_Gods, will this never end?"_ Naruto silently sulked as his eyelids drooped. _"If I have to here how Konoha was the grand dream of the Shodaime and how all of the founding shinobi were eager to join him in that dream I think I'll strangle someone."_

One of the few things that was keeping Naruto awake as he listened to the history lesson was his burning anger towards whomever had composed the testament that Iruka was citing as the Academy's source on the history of Konoha. Whoever the person was had clearly not been an objective observer as the entire thing seemed to have been painted in a way that made it seem as if those who had allied with the Shodaime had seen the man as some sort of messiah.

"_I can't believe they expect us to just believe all of this drivel,"_ mentally bemoaned Naruto as he glanced at his fellow classmates._"Konoha's founding was anything but the sickly sweet event being outlined here."_

While Naruto would be the first to admit he had never particularly enjoyed the extensive history education he had received at the hands of his hijiji, mainly because the young boy had thought the time would have been better spent learning cool ninja tricks, the young blond would admit that he was grateful for the knowledge that had been drilled into his head.

"_I doubt any of these fools know the truth,"_ the young, disguised Shugorei stated mentally. _"Except for a few of the clan kids I'd make a solid bet that I'm one of the only persons here that knows how the Hyuuga made a giant political affair of the entire thing, or how the Uchiha waged a one man war in an attempt to remain separate, and then there's my own clan's contributions as well as many others."_

Naruto fumed silently as all of this relevant history seemed to be glossed over by the person who had designed the history lessons that were mandatory for all students to learn, _"If we actually were learning the truth we would all know why certain clans and shinobi either work well together or have a strong dislike for one another, but instead everything is made out like Konoha should be one big, happy family. Yeah right."_

As he sat and tried to tone out the lecture Naruto couldn't help but think on how his situation had developed as it was only his second day at the Academy.

Yesterday had been rather dull and thankfully he had managed to avoid the inquiries of his new classmates. While the Academy was turning out to be a boring and worthless place to him Naruto let his thoughts drift to the singular event that had occurred and caused him the greatest amount of worry, the conversation that he had had with Danzou after leaving for home.

The Konoha Elder's appearance had caused Naruto to spend much of his evening combing through the Shugorei archives. Naruto had hoped he would be able to discover an acceptable excuse to avoid any confrontation with the Fire Daimyo without turning to either the Hokage or Danzou. Though that search had not been fruitful Naruto had discovered several scrolls that further detailed HK-47.

From those scrolls Naruto had learned that the rust colored guardian was not the perfect security system that had been previously announced by said sentinel. It seemed that HK had a few serious flaws that if known could render him useless in defending the compound.

The first flaw had been that the whole system revolved around the security seals that Naruto was already painfully acquainted with. From what had been written Naruto learned that the seals could be bypassed by anyone who had considerable skill and knowledge in the art of sealing. Also, the seals themselves limited HK as they had measures within them that worked to prevent the whole system from completely failing.

"_I go through all the trouble of getting shocked and hit with chakra backlash, not to mention listening to his sarcasm the entire time, only to find out that the vaunted Shugorei guardian isn't as invincible as originally advertised," _Naruto thought in frustration. _"Gods how there are times when I hate my clan."_

The flaw within the seals didn't stop there; no it was linked to the second problem that was inherent to the Shugorei security system, power. HK had told Naruto that a separate set of power generators had been set aside for the exclusive purpose of powering the security seals. However, the reason for the separation was not just as the slightly psychotic sentry believed. It seemed that the fail-safes within the seal network couldn't handle large power fluctuations well without immediately shutting down. The Shugorei had attempted to allay the problem by setting up a set of generators that would only produce enough power to make the seals and HK work. This meant that HK could not be supercharged if he were to face off against a far superior enemy. Naruto had also discovered that this meant HK couldn't individually take on multiple enemies that were attacking from different areas of the compound. Instead the he would spread his consciousness throughout the security system to take control of the secondary measures which were mainly sets of traps and a few crude puppets like those in the Akagahara training field. This meant that the compound couldn't repel an onslaught of attackers as Naruto had actually thought.

"_After all, why advertise you have an invincible security system when you can just build one that's slightly better than everyone else's and then supplement it with the membership of your clan,"_ sarcastically reflected the lone Shugorei. _"I mean that's not hubris at all."_

The final flaw that Naruto had discovered was that while HK was in a sense sentient he still required orders beyond his primary directives so as to fully execute his duties. Without a master like Naruto or Jinjiro being designated to him, HK would simply fall back to his original orders of protecting the hidden underground facility that housed the Shugorei Secrets.

"_At least that one makes some sense,"_ the whiskered blond mentally sighed. _"Without an actual compound now and only the subterranean facility to deal with, HK would be able to hold off intruders indefinitely down there as the entrance is a proverbial bottleneck."_

These flaws had forced Naruto to reconsider how he had originally planned to handle matters while living in Konoha. He could no longer take the chance of standing alone against any enemy, be they political or other. It also meant that he wouldn't be able to hide within the compound in relative safety for an extended period of time if the village decided to turn on him. The harsh truth that Naruto was forced to admit was that he needed to accelerate his plans of rebuilding the Shugorei alliances. Seeing as he was enrolled in a class with children of many of the strong clans and shinobi families within Konoha Naruto had decided that his best chance at securing this goal would be through them.

"_I am so wishing right now that I had a better option,"_ Naruto thought as he eyed several students that he had earmarked as being the most preferable to actually try and socialize with. _"At least they're not as pathetic as the other wannabes."_

After having witnessed their level of skill yesterday Naruto had formed a rather low opinion about many of the other students. For someone like him who had lived and breathed the skills of a shinobi every hour of every day for almost seven years it was to be expected that he feel some level of disgust at the casual nature that many of the students took their training in. However, the silver lining to all of this was that Naruto had immediately noticed several students that had exhibited traits showing that they had at least some competence in the shadowy world that they were all training to enter. He would even go so far as to say that he suspected a few were in the same state of boredom that he was, though part of him felt that even these select few were still no match to his obviously superior Shugorei skills.

"_If Hokage-jiji hadn't ordered me to hide my skills I would show them all what it truly means to train for the life of a shinobi,"_ Naruto silently chuckled as a small smile played across his face._"Even though I agreed with jiji on the necessity of hiding my skills I don't see the problem of having a little fun later on. In fact all I need right now is…."_

"Naruto pay attention!" shouted an angry Umino Iruka breaking Naruto's train of thought.

Blinking slightly in confusion as his thoughts were interrupted Naruto shifted his focus squarely onto the irate chunin standing before the class while saying, "I was paying attention, I just…."

"Well if you were paying attention than you can answer my question," the scarred instructor said while interrupting Naruto's attempt at an explanation. "Now can you tell me why it was the Shodaime Hokage thought it was so important to form Konohagakure and which major shinobi clan was the last to join his alliance?"

Naruto paused to consider his answer for a moment. While he had been more caught up in his own thoughts he had tried to keep at least aware of the topic Iruka had been lecturing about, as well as any major details. The chunin instructor had given a textbook reason for the formation of Konoha, but he hadn't mentioned anything about the order to which the major clans decided to join the alliance to form the village. In essence Iruka was testing him beyond simply seeing whether or not he had been paying attention. Perhaps the man wasn't as friendly as he had initially appeared yesterday during the introductions.

"Well the Shodaime was clearly looking to the danger that was being posed by the other newly forming shinobi villages. It is also safe to say that his decision to create Konoha was also based upon the fact that many strong individual shinobi, clans, and ninja families shared his apprehension towards the gathering of hostile and potentially hostile forces. As such he could capitalize upon this by recruiting from those groups to create Konohagakure which would fulfill the need for security of all the parties involved," answered Naruto crisply as he had decided not to let slip the extra knowledge he had of the event that had been supplied to him by Jinjiro.

Hearing no outright objection to his answer Naruto continued as he addressed the second part of Iruka's question, "In regards to which clan was the last to join the alliance to form Konoha there is some degree of argument over the point as two clans could claim that place in history."

"And those would be?" questioned Iruka who seemed wholly unimpressed so far with Naruto's answer.

"Well first you have Clan Shugorei which many would argue was the last major clan to join, but then you have Clan Uchiha who could also claim that title," continued Naruto. "The problem is that while the Uchiha did pledge their support weeks before Clan Shugorei it did not become official until the treaty between them and the Shodaime was ratified by their clan council. That event occurred two days after the official documents between the Shugorei and the Shodaime were signed and recognized by both parties. All in all one could say that technically it was Clan Uchiha that was last as they were the last to officially support the formation of Konoha, but at the same time Clan Shugorei showed no indication publicly of being open to the idea of joining the Shodaime until the official meeting that was held where they signed the alliance treaty."

As Naruto finished his answer he saw many of the other students looking at him with a degree of wonder. It seemed that none of them had expected Naruto to supply such an analytical answer to Iruka's question. Of course Naruto knew that there were several major details that he had left out, but letting those slip would show that he had knowledge that was only available to members of Clan Uchiha, Clan Shugorei, and the Hokages themselves. Such a revelation would immediately call extra attention to him and raise suspicions, so it was best to give an answer that satisfied his own need to showoff while not giving away clues to his secrets.

"Ah…yes, um very good Naruto. It's good to see that you are indeed paying attention," covered Iruka quickly so as to hide his own surprise at the answer that Naruto had provided.

Sending a small smirk towards the teacher Naruto replied, "Thank you sensei, I do try to strive for accuracy with my answers."

The short statement made Naruto chuckle internally as he watched Mizuki take over the lesson with more questions being posed to the other students. While it was true that he did want to be accurate and correct when answering that hadn't exactly been what Naruto was getting at. No, the disguised Shugorei had made the comment to show some of his irritation at the imprecise history lesson that the Academy taught.

Settling back into letting his mind dwell upon other, far more important things than the inexact history lesson, Naruto ignored the answers being given by the other students to Mizuki's questions.

Letting his mind shift back to yesterday's events Naruto focused back onto the one event that had disturbed him the most, the voice.

"_HK swears that he did not detect anyone other than myself in the area after Danzou left,"_ the blue eyed Shugorei silently contemplated. _"But knowing what I do now about certain flaws in HK's design and function could also mean that he was unable to detect whoever it was for a myriad of reasons."_

Playing over the situation Naruto began to review the most likely explanations.

"_Whoever it was could have been using an advanced Genjutsu,"_ considered Naruto guardedly. _"I know my ability to use and detect them is limited, but I haven't seen any information yet that suggests that HK has such a flaw. However, the absence of proof isn't the proof of absence, so I need to look through the archives more carefully later to see if there's more about his functions."_

Moving on to the next option Naruto thought silently, _"It could have also been some sort of Ninjutsu, but who would be able to…?"_

As he debated on the matter Naruto's attention was suddenly grabbed by a feminine voice answering one of Mizuki's questions. Shifting his focus over to the origin of the voice Naruto spied a young female with blond hair far lighter than his own and blue eyes that were of a different shade.

"_Of course!" _Naruto suddenly reflected. _"The Yamanaka have such abilities, their jutsus affect the mind and would easily allow one of them to have been the voice."_

While the thought did hold promise Naruto suddenly felt his analytical side kick in thinking, _"But what would they have to gain from contacting me so? The Yamanaka have always been friendly towards the Shugorei, if they knew who I was I would think that the voice would have identified itself."_

Feeling his moment of triumph slip away as his best lead was slowly being worn away by his logic Naruto returned to contemplating other origins for the voice.

"_Maybe if I could find out if there are others out there similar to the Yamanaka that could bolster that theory, but until then the Genjutsu theory is my best bet," _Naruto silently judged.

As his thoughts ran to the idea of someone being able to access his mind Naruto suddenly felt a shiver run up his spine as a small, dark thought entered his mind. There were things other than people who could enter one's thoughts. One of those was currently sealed away inside of him.

"_It couldn't be him,"_ a worried Naruto speculated. _"The Kyuubi has never spoken to me before and the tone of the voice was far different from him."_

While he could try to dismiss the Kyuubi no Youko, Naruto couldn't shake the idea. Though he had tried to avoid the demon whenever he meditated and slipped into his inner world, it would not be too farfetched that the kitsune would try to trick him in some way. Altering its voice to fool him would be an easy thing to try, but it seemed far too simple for such a great and powerful creature as the Kyuubi.

"_It could be underneath the Kyuubi to try such a thing, but what if he's not the one trying to trick me," _contemplated Naruto as he felt a cold sweat forming on his brow. _"Foxes are legendary for their cunning, what if one of the foxes I let onto the Shugorei land wasn't just a regular fox? Kitsune are different from regular foxes due to their ability to utilize chakra. One could have been hiding with the local foxes and is now trying to influence me, but to what end?"_

Letting his train of thought begin to runaway Naruto was startle by the small, delicate fingers that tapped him on the shoulder. Jumping slightly in shock as he had completely zoned out Naruto immediately went into defensive mode and turned a hard glare onto the spot where he had felt the action come from.

Cowering slightly before Naruto was the young Hyuuga girl that Naruto had noticed yesterday when he had come to the classroom with the Hokage. He had sat by her once again, mainly because she was quiet and hadn't bothered him at all. Seeing her frightened by his reaction Naruto let himself relax as a sense of guilt struck him over making the dark haired girl cringe.

"I um…please forgive me," Naruto slowly blubbered out as he was unused to speaking to any one his own age and of the opposite sex for that matter. "I didn't mean to startle you; it's just that you caught me unaware at the moment. Do you need something?"

Not knowing that Naruto was silently fuming for being caught off guard the young girl stuttered out a small, whispered reply that Naruto didn't catch.

"Um…I didn't quite hear you, could you repeat that?" Naruto asked slowly as he his sensitive hearing had picked up something from the girl, but it had been far too broken to be made any sense of.

Seeming to gather herself despite her flushed face showing her embarrassment the Hyuuga answered, "Ano…well you see…it's just that I…well um…everyone is going to lunch and you were…."

Looking around the classroom Naruto spied that many of the students were leaving for their lunch hour. Many had bento boxes and other lunch containers in hand as they joined up with friends to enjoy the break.

"Oh…um thanks for letting me know…" Naruto began before realizing he hadn't actually learned who the girl actually was. "You know I never caught your name yesterday."

The pale eyed girl seemed to suddenly shrink in on herself with Naruto's statement, but stuttered out a polite, "Ano…I'm Hyuuga Hinata."

Letting his foxy grin cover his face Naruto responded, "Well it's nice to meet you Hinata-san, my name's Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto to be exact."

Looking at Hinata, Naruto noticed that she seemed to buck up slightly with his introduction, though she still seemed to be very shy.

"_Now there's something Jinjiro-hijiji never mentioned," _Naruto thought as he picked up on Hinata's nervous tenseness. _"He always said that the Hyuuga were proud to the point of arrogance, but Hinata here seems the exact opposite. Could hijiji been mistaken?"_

Before he could think further on his thoughts or actually talk to Hinata, a loud voice was directed towards the two.

"I see you're already getting to know the new kid Hinata," a boy with red, inverted triangles on his cheeks wearing a fur lined jacket said. "That's not like you."

"Ano…I was…um just," Hinata tried to vainly stutter out an explanation to the new arrival.

"Oh don't play coy with me. You were trying to cozy up to him weren't you," the feral looking boy teased the shy Hyuuga, who seemed ready to pass out as her already red face flushed further.

Feeling a need to defend the girl who had been kind enough to alert him to the lunch break, Naruto began to stand and saying, "She was just letting me know it was time for lunch, not that it's anything to you."

Expecting the other boy to take offense Naruto was slightly surprised when he heard a low chuckle come in response.

"Touched a nerve have I?" chuckled out the unidentified boy said before noticing Hinata's embarrassment and Naruto's irritation. "Sorry there, I'm Inuzuka Kiba by the way."

Nodding slightly towards Kiba, Naruto responded slowly, "Uzumaki Naruto."

"Well I was actually coming over to get Hinata to come to lunch as we usually eat with a few others, but seeing as she has a thing for you perhaps you'd like to come along as well?" offered a teasing Kiba.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata almost shouted as her embarrassment seemed to increase with his teasing.

"Sure, I guess I could…not like I have any other plans anyway," shrugged Naruto as he indicated for Kiba to lead the way.

As the three made their way up to the roof of the Academy Naruto let his thoughts go back to what he had been contemplating earlier before Iruka had distracted him, _"So an Inuzuka and a Hyuuga. I guess this is a start to working on those alliances."_

Making their way over to a corner of the rooftop that was shaded by a large tree Naruto noticed three other students seeming to be enjoying their lunches. Noticing that Kiba was hailing them Naruto guessed that the three were the other students that Kiba had mentioned. While Kiba talked Naruto quickly assessed the new trio before him.

All three were male and were spread out in different positions within the cool, shade of the tree, but Naruto thought he recognized each from the day before when he had first arrived in the classroom.

The first was reclined on the small wall that was near the edge of the roof and Naruto recognized his pineapple shaped head as belonging to the boy who had appeared to be sleeping. The lazy boy was idly picking at a neatly prepared bento while looking up at the sky and ignoring Kiba.

The second student that Naruto noted was the same one who had been stuffing his face with chips. The boy was somewhat pudgy and was currently sitting with his back to the wall that the first boy was reclining upon. He was eating quite rapidly from a large bento and Naruto noted that there were already two empty bento boxes at the round boy's feet with a large assortment of snacks waiting to be enjoyed.

The third boy caused Naruto to stop any of his idle thoughts when he spied him. Dark sunglasses hid the boy's eyes and a blue, high collared coat hid the bottom half of the boy's face. Naruto noted that he was the same boy who had been watching him the other day when he had entered with the Hokage. The boy had a long, bendable straw going into a thermos and over his collar so Naruto guessed that he was drinking some sort of soup as there appeared to be no other food present for him. Despite sitting calmly in the small corner that was formed by the joining of the walls surrounding the rooftop Naruto felt that the boy was staring straight at him once again, though he couldn't be sure due to the sunglasses.

"I hope you guys don't mind but I brought the new guy with me…Hinata has a thing for him," Kiba stated causing Naruto to break from his short examination of the trio that had apparently been waiting for Kiba and Hinata.

"You shouldn't tease Hinata like that Kiba," the stoic sunglasses wearing boy stated in a neutral tone. "Many would consider such insinuations impolite."

"Aw come on Shino, Hinata knows it's all in good fun," the young Inuzuka said while setting a hand onto the shoulder of the blushing girl.

"So long as he isn't as troublesome as Ino it doesn't matter to me," stated the lazy looking boy without even turning from watching the clouds to look at the newly arrived trio.

"Mou, you shouldn't be so negative Shikamaru," the chubby looking boy said as he stopped eating for a moment to regard his lazy companion. "If Ino heard you say such things she'd…."

"I'd what!" shouted the blond haired girl that Naruto had identified as a Yamanaka while in class and who he now tagged with the name Ino.

"Shit, talk about speak of the devil," Shikamaru began before he was hit in the head by a fist from angry looking Ino.

Watching Shikamaru nearly roll off the wall and down to the ground far below, Naruto asked with a hint of concern, "Should we do something? It seems your friend may be in a bit of trouble."

Turning away from the scene of Ino trying to further pummel Shikamaru, Kiba answered, "Oh don't worry, they've been like that since they started growing up together with Chouji over there. It's like me teasing Hinata, no real harm…."

"Oww, gods damn you woman stop hitting me and give me back my sandal," a stricken Shikamaru yelled as Ino appeared to be beating him over the head with a small blue object.

Seeing that Kiba didn't seem at all concerned and Hinata seemed torn between worry and nervousness, Naruto simply followed the two in sitting down to eat.

Pulling out a small scroll from his equipment pouch and running through a few handseals Naruto created a small puff of smoke before two thermoses and a few cups of instant ramen appeared. Unscrewing the top on the first thermos and pouring out the water within into one of the cup ramen, Naruto began to channel some chakra into the hand holding the wax-paper bowl to agitate the water to the point of boiling. Focused upon preparing his lunch Naruto barely glanced up when he heard Shikamaru and Ino abruptly stop their one-sided brawl.

Glancing up as he noted that the water had reached the point of having reached the right temperature Naruto saw the eyes of the other six students firmly upon him.

"What?" asked a confused Naruto as he looked back and forth between them.

"What do you mean what?" stated a wide-eyed Ino while pointing towards Naruto. "You just…."

"Got out my lunch and began cooking it," Naruto interrupted with a quirked eyebrow. "What's your point?"

Coming to the rescue of a confusedly blinking Ino, Shikamaru said, "What she means is how are you able to do those things?"

Shrugging Naruto answered, "It's just low-level sealing and chakra manipulation, its nothing special."

As Ino began to blubber a statement in response while Chouji, Kiba and Hinata continued to stare, Shino beat her to a comprehensible response.

"None of us know how to do that," Shino stated calmly even though his eyebrows had risen to show his surprise. "I don't think anyone in our class can do it either."

"Ah…well um…I guess I could show you how sometime," the blond Shugorei said slowly.

"Really?" questioned Hinata as she looked towards Naruto expectantly.

"Yeah sure, I mean it's not like I'm revealing some great secret to you or anything," said Naruto with a nervous smile as the six students were all looking at him strangely.

"Awesome," Kiba yelled as Chouji began telling Shikamaru how he would be able to store all of his snacks better.

"Wait a minute, you're that new kid from yesterday," Ino said while pointing at Naruto.

"Uh," began Naruto as he had just begun breaking apart a pair of disposable chopsticks. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"Oh yeah," stated Kiba as he smacked his forehead with his hand. "I forgot to introduce you to everyone."

Pointing to each in turn Kiba began to identify the other students.

"This is Aburame Shino," the Inuzuka began by indicating the boy wearing the sunglasses. "He doesn't talk a whole lot and usually he doesn't hang out with us, but he's okay I guess."

Naruto nodded a greeting to the now identified member of the bug using clan, who seemed somewhat annoyed with Kiba's description. However, unless one actually noted the way Shino's eyebrows moved, annoyance or any other emotion would have been unnoticeable.

"Next we have Akimichi Chouji here and Nara Shikamaru there on the wall," Kiba continued with pointing towards the rotund boy first and then the lazy boy. "Chouji and Shikamaru used to join me in ditching class a lot when we first started at the Academy plus the three of us used to hang out at the same park together."

Looking over to the two, Naruto saw Chouji throw him a small salute with his chopsticks before diving back into his food. Shikamaru simply gave a lazy wave as he settled back on top of the small wall that he had been previously reclining on.

"And last we have Yamanaka Ino here," Kiba indicated with a small jerk of his thumb towards the blond girl that had been hitting Shikamaru. "She grew up with Shikamaru and Chouji because of the close bonds their families have, though she is kind of a pain in the…."

Smack!

Kiba's head bounced slightly as he was hit in the face with a blue blur that cut off what he had been trying to say. Naruto guessed that the blur had been the sandal that Ino had taken from Shikamaru and had yet to give back as the Yamanaka had her arm still held in the position of having thrown something.

"What Kiba means to say is that I'm the most beautiful kunoichi in our class," Ino said sweetly, though Naruto did pick up on the hint of a small threat from her when she let her eyes narrow on Kiba's dazed form.

"Right, well it's nice to meet you all," said Naruto as he enjoyed his cup of ramen. "And my offer stands if any of you want me to show you how to do what I did earlier."

"Your offer is appreciated Uzumaki," Shino stated neutrally.

"Mou, mou no need to be formal here Shino, just call me Naruto. It's not like I consider myself better than any of you," deceptively smiled Naruto as he gave a small wave with his hand. "You've all been here at the Academy longer than me so I'll probably have to ask you for help, not the other way around."

"Don't be so troublesome," Shikamaru said while looking back towards the fluffy clouds passing overhead. "I heard that answer you gave earlier today and saw how you aced the kunai and shuriken skill tests yesterday. Add that to your little tricks just now and I'd say you are pretty talented, not to mention that little stunt you pulled regarding Mizuki."

"Yeah Naruto," stated a renewed Kiba. "Where did you learn all that anyway? I've never seen you around Konoha before."

"_That's because I spent most of my time at the orphanage,"_ Naruto thought heatedly. _"It's not like your parents would have let you play with the 'demon child' anyways."_

Letting his anger simmer Naruto covered up his feelings with a grin saying, "Well I spent every year since I was five traveling about the Elemental Countries and was lucky to pick up a few things."

Though he could tell that his partial truth was being accepted, Naruto did note that from the way Shino, Shikamaru, and even Hinata reacted they could tell there was more to the story than just that simple explanation.

Before they could inquire further Ino spoke up, "You've actually traveled to other countries?"

"Uh yeah," Naruto began hesitantly as he spied a small glint in the eyes of the pale, blond girl. "I've been to Tea, Claw, Fang, Grass, Wind, Ocean, Water, Snow…."

"Wow you've been to Snow Country," interrupted Kiba excitedly. "What was that like?"

Somewhat annoyed at being interrupted Naruto responded simply, "Cold."

Blinking in slight bewilderment Kiba asked confusedly, "Cold? That's it?"

"It's a country made completely out of snow and ice. What do you want from me a fucking poem?" Naruto shot back quickly. "It's really, really, cold."

Jumping in to prevent Kiba and Naruto from fighting Hinata stuttered out, "Ano…um who were you traveling with Uzumaki-san?"

Looking to the shy, female Hyuuga, Naruto replied, "You don't have to be so formal Hinata, like I told Shino just call me Naruto."

Smiling with his statement Naruto barely noticed the way Hinata's cheeks seemed to color as he talked to her.

"And to answer your question I was traveling with my hijijisan," Naruto stated quietly as his large smile slowly faded.

"Oh who's that?" asked Chouji as he opened up a bag of chips.

Not really wishing to go into detail as first, it would reveal too much about himself, and two, talking about Jinjiro was still a sore point for him, Naruto simply said, "He passed away right before I came back to Konoha a few days ago."

An uncomfortable silence descended upon the small group with Naruto's statement and Chouji began to apologize, "I'm sorry I…."

"You didn't know…I mean, how could you?" said Naruto as he began to give a small smile to hide the hurt he still felt over the loss of his hijiji.

Silence returned as Naruto returned to eating his ramen before fixing another cup.

Deciding that the silence was too disturbing Kiba took it upon himself to break it by asking, "So, why are you over here with us today Ino? I would think you'd be chasing after the Uchiha like usual."

Twitching slightly at Kiba's snide remarks, Ino answered in an annoyed tone, "I decided that Sasuke-kun's training time was too important to be interrupted, so…."

"He ditched you again, didn't he?" drawled Shikamaru form his ledge. "Or is it that Sakura got to him before you did, hmmm?"

With a yell Ino leapt back onto Shikamaru and began to beat him with his other shoe, which she had somehow gotten off his foot without anyone seeing how she had done it.

"Um excuse me, but what are you guys talking about?" Naruto said feigning ignorance to who Uchiha Sasuke was, though he didn't know who this Sakura person was.

"Uchiha Sasuke is the best student at the Academy right now and is slated to be the 'Rookie of the Year' for our class," answered Chouji as he ignored the small scuffle taking place. "Haruno Sakura, like Ino, is one of his many fangirls. She and Ino are actually the co-presidents of his fan club here at the Academy."

"_Okay, I knew the guy was popular, but to have an actual fan club is a bit much,"_ reflected Naruto.

"Forehead-girl cheated," stated an angry Ino vehemently. "I should have won the position and Sasuke-kun completely."

"_Wow, if Ino is any indication of what Sakura and the other fangirls are like I'd be worried if I was Sasuke," _Naruto thought nervously.

Turning to look at Hinata, Naruto asked, "So are you also part of his club?"

Stuttering and blushing Hinata couldn't manage to answer and seemed to wish that she could disappear, though Shino came to her rescue.

"Hinata has never professed any interest in the Uchiha," the young Aburame quietly stated. "She actually realizes that training to be a strong kunoichi is more important than foolishly stalking someone who seems incapable of returning anyone's feelings."

"Oh, well that's good," said Naruto with a smile. "Its good that you're so dedicated to your training Hinata, I bet you're really strong then."

Blushing hard Hinata tried to stutter out a denial, but was interrupted by Ino.

"Don't listen to them," the blond girl said passionately. "Sasuke-kun is the best. He's so cool and talented. I bet he could do your little tricks from earlier Naruto, I mean after all he is an Uchiha."

The tone of devotion that seemed to drip from Ino's voice almost caused Naruto to gag. Sure he had heard of people looking up to someone or having a crush on a person, but this bordered upon fanaticism. The fact that the guy seemed to be so highly regarded just because he came from a prestigious clan rubbed Naruto wrong.

Normally the young Shugorei didn't have anything against those who came from the many shinobi clans. Sure he had been told about a number of feuds and bad feelings that the Shugorei had towards other clans, but still he didn't see a reason to accept or dismiss someone based simply on the fact that they came from a clan. Hearing Ino voicing such a high opinion on Sasuke mainly because he was an Uchiha made Naruto angry because it was the type of thing that people did to him when they equated him to the Kyuubi no Youko, they didn't bother taking the time to learn who he really was they just assumed.

"_Well I guess we'll have to see how good he really is sometime,"_thought Naruto with anticipation.

"Ano, Kiba-kun…where's Akamaru?" hesitantly questioned Hinata in an attempt to direct the conversation away from subjects that would cause arguments.

"Hmmm," hummed Kiba as he chewed on an onigiri before swallowing. "Oh he's visiting Hana today for a few vaccinations."

Chuckling lightly Kiba added, "You should have seen him tearing about the compound when my mom mentioned it at breakfast."

"Um excuse me," Naruto interrupted as he moved away from his thoughts on challenging the lone Uchiha. "But who is Akamaru?"

"Oh yeah I keep forgetting you don't know much about us," Kiba started as he looked towards Naruto. "Akamaru is my nin-ken partner…."

"He's such a cute little, white puppy," giggled Ino interrupting Kiba's explanation.

"As I was saying," Kiba said in an annoyed tone at having been interrupted. "The Inuzuka use a special breed of dogs as partners. My sister, Hana, is one of the veterinarians of the clan and Akamaru needed to go and get a few shots, so he's not with me today."

Nodding in understanding Naruto replied, "Okay, I think I remember seeing a white puppy sitting on your head yesterday in class."

"Yeah that was Akamaru," grinned the young Inuzuka. "Iruka doesn't like me bringing him to class, but my mom and the clan elders argued that I needed to further my bond with him by spending more time together. He usually sits in my jacket or on my head and he's usually pretty quiet so I don't see why Iruka gets so peeved about it."

"Perhaps he prefers cats," offered Chouji as he moved onto opening his fourth bag of chips.

"Everybody likes dogs," argued Kiba passionately. "It's as natural as you constantly eating chips."

While Kiba expounded upon how great dogs were Naruto let his mind mull over the issue. Truthfully he didn't have any great love for dogs, but couldn't really give any justification as to why.

"_Perhaps it has something to do with the Kyuubi,"_ Naruto thought carefully. _"Foxes and dogs don't seem to get along, so that could be why. Probably shouldn't say anything against dogs though, Kiba may take offense and that would be a setback."_

Deciding that it would be best to avoid the issue Naruto tried to focus on something else. Seeing the small pile of chip bags that was forming near Chouji a small thought crept into Naruto's mind.

Giving voice to that thought Naruto began to say, "You know Chouji eating so many salty snacks will make you fa…."

Before he could finish his statement Naruto felt a hand slap over his mouth. Looking to the owner of the hand he found Shikamaru glaring hard at him. Naruto didn't feel at all intimidated by the glare, but he was slightly surprised at the speed the lazy looking boy had moved at.

"That word is taboo around Chouji," whispered Shikamaru threateningly into Naruto's ear.

Confused by the actions and words of the young Nara, Naruto was suddenly surprised by the small amount of killing intent rolling towards him from where Chouji was sitting. Looking to the rotund Akimichi his eyes widened when he saw that the jovial boy had taken on a dangerous and suspicious expression.

"What were you going to say?" Chouji questioned in a quiet, yet threatening tone.

Feeling Shikamaru remove his hand Naruto realized that he was on his own in dealing with Chouji now. Honestly the young Shugorei in disguise did think that the plump boy was bordering on becoming a fat-ass, but saying so would be rude and apparently unwelcome by Shikamaru as well as the young Akimichi.

"Um…what I was saying was," Naruto started to answer slowly as he tried to carefully weigh his words. "It's kind of unhealthy to eat so much salt…I mean it could give you heart problems later on if you continued…."

Trailing off Naruto felt slightly worried as everyone was still being very quiet and Chouji was still looking towards him with the same expression.

Gulping slightly Naruto tired to salvage the situation, "It's just that I wouldn't want to see something bad happen to someone I'm just starting to make friends with, you know?"

Before he could tell if his words had any effect the conversation was taken over by Ino.

"You know Chouji you could stand to lose some weight," the young, female Yamanaka began as she played with her long ponytail. "Girls don't like guys who are fa…."

Once again Shikamaru seemed to fly across the small group as he slapped a hand over the mouth of a now muffled, protesting Ino.

Seeing the defense being put up by the seemingly lazy Shikamaru for Chouji, Naruto concluded that the two must be pretty close.

"_The way they interact is more than just how there families normally work closely. Maybe they are actually friends?" _Naruto thought as a small feeling of sadness seemed to creep into his mind at not ever really having known what it was like to have friends.

"Do you mean that?" asked Chouji hesitantly towards Naruto interrupting the whispered conversation that Shikamaru was having with Ino.

Seeing an unknown emotion playing in Chouji's eyes Naruto responded slowly, "Yeah…I mean I just got back to Konoha, you know? Meeting you guys has probably been the best thing that's happened to me since before…."

Naruto let his gaze fall away and his words trail off as he let an implication of the loss of his hijiji rise up in the minds of those present. Before he could check to see how the others were reacting he suddenly felt something hit him lightly.

Looking up to find the object Naruto saw a small bag of chips lying in his lap. Glancing from the bag towards Chouji he saw a grin on the face of the plump boy. Giving a small grin back to the Akimichi, Naruto opened the bag and pulled out a chip. As Naruto ate the offered chips he saw Shikamaru give him a small nod as the lethargic Nara made his way back to reclining on the small ledge that he had been previously occupying.

After the small event the rest of the lunch hour went by quickly as the small group talked and laughed as stories and details about each other were shared. Naruto told more of his travels while Kiba eagerly asked questions about what each place was like. Hinata didn't say much, but she seemed just as interested as Kiba was in learning more about the blond boy and the places he had been. Chouji made mention of Shikamaru liking to play Shougi and Go while the Nara voiced how things were often too troublesome. Shino only said a few things, mainly asking if Naruto had noticed certain types of insects during his travels. Ino talked about fashion and the latest fades, often asking if anyone had seen the new styles, especially Naruto who had been traveling about.

As the lunch hour ended and the small group made their way back to class they all seemed content with how the time had been spent. However, one person's thoughts were far different from the others.

"_That couldn't have gone better if I had actually planned the entire thing out,"_ smiled Naruto as he silently regarded the interaction that had occurred and moved with the group back to class.

* * *

Class after the lunch break had moved out to the Academy training grounds just as it had done yesterday. Naruto joined up with his new acquaintances once the class had assembled on the dirt field, noting that it was a different area from the one he had visited yesterday to test kunai and shuriken skills.

Growing impatient with waiting for Iruka or Mizuki to explain what they would be doing Naruto turned to ask Shikamaru, "So what do you think we're going to be doing now?"

Rolling his eyes slightly the young Nara answered, "They're probably going to have us do Taijutsu training now…how troublesome."

Regarding the annoyed boy Naruto couldn't help but wonder where the annoyance stemmed from. At first it could have been that Shikamaru was simply just a slacker who didn't want to do anything, but that idea was uncomfortable to Naruto. He had seen the boy put just enough effort into most things to get by and at the same time he had also witnessed him go beyond expectations in matters that most would have considered trivial. The next thought regarding the situation was that Shikamaru simply disliked Taijutsu training.

"_That would fit with what I know of Clan Nara,"_ reflected Naruto to himself. _"They've always been more in tune with strategizing and leaving the more physical aspects of combat to allies like the Akimichi."_

Though that answer seemed to fit the situation perfectly Naruto still wasn't satisfied by it.

"_Maybe it's because he still hasn't gotten his sandals back from Ino and Kiba,"_ Naruto humorously thought as he looked to the bare feet of the boy standing next to him. _"Best bet is that it probably is a combination of all three."_

Noticing a small giggle escape from Naruto, Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Quickly covering his thoughts up Naruto answered indicating a few of the other students, "Oh just how it would be fun to knock someone around for a little while."

Sighing, the young Nara simply responded, "How troublesome."

"Alright!" announced Iruka, interrupting any further conversation that Naruto wanted to have. "I want you all to come up here and pull a number from the box on the table in front of Mizuki. There are two of each number and enough so that each student will be matched up against a single opponent of the same number for the Taijutsu spars that we're going to be having today."

Looking towards the table and box that held the numbers Naruto heard a mixture of cheers and groans come from the crowd of students he was in. Naruto suspected that the loudest groan he had heard had come from Shikamaru, but he really didn't care so long as he finally got some action in this pathetic Academy.

Having gone up with the other students to pick a number Naruto returned to the group he had eaten lunch with and began to compare numbers.

"Ha I got number one baby," cheered an excited Kiba. "What did you guys get?"

"Number four here," mumbled Chouji who was snacking on another bag of chips that he had kept hidden.

Sighing in annoyance Shikamaru answered, "Six for me…what a bother."

"I as well got number six," Shino uttered neutrally.

"Oh that means you two get to go up against one another," let out a still fired up Kiba. "Don't disappoint us and quit you two, I want to see some action."

Hearing Shikamaru mumble some curses about Kiba and his overexcited attitude while Shino simply stood quietly, Naruto looked down at this own number.

"_Is this an omen or something?"_ contemplated Naruto as he looked at the small piece of paper in his hand with a large black nine on it. _"If it is a sign some higher power has a stupid sense of humor."_

"Hmm, seems I pulled number nine," Naruto stated simply as he went over his thoughts.

Looking away from his own paper Naruto looked to Hinata as the young Hyuuga hadn't said anything since coming back with her number.

"Hey, what number did you get Hinata?" the young blond asked with a small grin.

Letting a small 'eep' escape from her mouth at being caught off guard Hinata turned and stuttered out, "Um…I got number seven."

"Well I have number five," remarked Ino who had made her way over to the group after talking with a few other students.

Before any more could be said about the numbers Iruka interrupted the bustling class, "Alright then. Everyone's got their numbers, so let's start. Number ones please step out onto the field."

Hearing Kiba give a whoop Naruto watched the young Inuzuka bound out onto the area designated by Mizuki and Iruka. The male student who would be going against Kiba was one of the poorer skilled students that Naruto had noted yesterday during kunai and shuriken practice.

"_Unless that kid's hiding some amazing skills Kiba will mop the floor with him," _thought Naruto with a small grin as the match began.

Sure enough the prediction proved to be correct and Naruto noted that Kiba seemed disappointed by his match. The unknown male had been felled rather quickly when Kiba had launched forward in a shoulder tackle that had knocked the wind out of him. Unable to get back up in time to defend himself he had found himself pinned underneath Kiba, who had his fingers pointed towards the boy's eyes. Seeing that the contest was over Iruka had called an end to the match with Kiba being the winner.

"Not bad there," offered Naruto as Kiba plopped down to watch the other matches. "Of course your opponent fucking sucked, but still not too shabby."

Grunting slightly in response Kiba looked towards Naruto who was standing before saying, "That's the third time this year I've gotten an opponent who isn't a challenge. Man, I wish I could face off against Sasuke once in awhile."

"I was under the impression that you didn't think he was that great," remarked Naruto with an upturned eyebrow as two unfamiliar students made their way through the second match.

"I don't," Kiba replied swiftly with a feral grin. "It's just that he would at least put up a decent fight before I crushed him."

"Yeah in your dreams," said the pink haired girl that Naruto had noticed doing pretty well on the kunai and shuriken tests.

"While I hate to agree with Forehead-girl here," began Ino as she seemed to indicate the female student who had joined them. "Sasuke-kun would beat you into the ground before you could realize it."

"Yeah right," protested the perturbed Inuzuka. "I wouldn't even need Akamaru to take down that pretty-boy."

Before either the new arrival or Ino could respond Naruto jumped in, "Um...excuse me, but you are who now Miss…?"

The pink haired girl seemed to blink a few times in response as she looked at Naruto. While she took a moment the young Shugorei turned Uzumaki made a quick examination of her. Other than her long, pink hair there really didn't seem to be anything wrong with her, for the life of him Naruto couldn't figure out why she had been referred to as 'Forehead-girl' by Ino. The girl's forehead seemed to be just fine from what he could see.

"Oh yeah I keep forgetting you're new Naruto," Ino interjected with a small smile. "This is Haruno Sakura or Forehead-girl as I like to call her."

"Shut it Ino-pig," fired back an angry looking Sakura. "You shouldn't color people's opinions like that."

Before the two could start arguing again Naruto interrupted, "Excuse me, but I am capable of forming my own opinions and I can't see anything wrong with your forehead."

Turning to look at the male blond while blushing lightly Sakura responded, "Well that's good, don't let Ino-pig here tell you false information."

"She hasn't to my knowledge," affirmed Naruto with a small shrug. "I was told that you and she are the co-presidents of some sort of fan club though."

"It's not just 'some sort of fan club'," protested Sakura as Ino seemed to nod unconsciously in response. "It's Sasuke-kun's fan club and I should have won the presidency and Sasuke-kun's love if not for Ino-pig."

As the two obsessed girls began arguing again Naruto noted that the third match had begun and once again involved people he didn't have any familiarity with.

"Sasuke seems to have a ton of girls chasing after him and he doesn't show the least bit of interest," Shikamaru supplied as Ino and Sakura traded insults.

"Really?" questioned Naruto skeptically. "Hmm, maybe he's gay?"

Just as those last words left his mouth Naruto felt the temperature drop several degrees. Unsure of what was going on he turned to find both Ino and Sakura had put a hold to their fighting and where now glaring daggers at him.

"What did you say?" the two kunoichi in training asked icily while cracking their knuckles.

Before he realized it Naruto found himself on the receiving end of a number of punches and kicks from the two angry fangirls. Lying on the ground stunned from the ferocity of the two obsessed girls he barely noticed Hinata worriedly looking over him.

"Note to self, don't imply Sasuke's sexuality within audio range of crazed fangirls," Naruto commented out loud as Kiba laughed noisily, Chouji munched on his chips, Shino stood stoically, and Shikamaru uttered barely audible curses regarding women.

"Ano…um Naruto-san…are you…are you alright?" inquired a nervous Hinata as she helped the masquerading boy into a sitting position.

"Yeah I'm fine," mumbled Naruto as he tensed his muscles and popped his neck to see if everything was still in working order. "Hey didn't I say you didn't have to be so formal with me Hinata?"

The only thing that Naruto received in response from the timid Hyuuga was a small blush as she began to twiddle her fingers.

"Chouji's match is up," Shikamaru cut in before Hinata could offer any other response.

Both Naruto and Hinata turned to observe their round friend and his opponent silently.

Chouji had been matched against a female student who had puffy brown hair in a small afro. Naruto was surprised that when the match began the young Akimichi attacked with such fury as the boy honestly seemed as if he wouldn't hurt a fly. However that illusion was shattered as Chouji hit the stunned kunoichi wannabe with a shoulder slam before hammering her with a number of open palmed slaps. Watching the young Akimichi dominating the match Naruto was reminded of a Sumo wrestler that he had once seen compete when he had been traveling with his hijiji.

The match ended quickly as Iruka intervened swiftly to avoid any lasting harm to befall the girl.

As Chouji moved back to the side of the field where Naruto and the others were waiting Kiba exclaimed, "Whoa that was awesome. Who knew you had that in you man."

The normally jovial Akimichi had a small frown on his face and responded with a low tone, "She shouldn't have insulted Ino like that."

Leaving the others to puzzle out what exactly had happened to make Chouji go berserk the chubby boy sat down just a bit away from Kiba. What was surprising was he didn't attempt to eat anything even though Naruto suspected that several more bags of snacks were hidden on Chouji's person.

"Chouji is very protective of those he considers to be his friends," supplied Shikamaru to Naruto as Ino had begun her own match against a boy with a shaved head. "Ino and I have known him since we were just out of the cradle and I can tell you that there is no one I would want watching my back more then him."

Nodding silently in understanding Naruto heard Shikamaru say, "Chouji seems to have taken a shine to you as well Naruto."

Seeing the puzzled expression on Naruto's face the Nara boy continued, "I've rarely seen Chouji ever offer some of his chips to someone. The fact that he gave you a bag means he must think of you as a friend."

"I'll be sure to remember that," Naruto said calmly before feeling Shikamaru pulled him closer.

"Chouji is a great guy with a big heart and a lot of kindness," whispering so only the two could hear what was being said Shikamaru let his voice take on a steely tone. "Betray the trust he puts in you and I'll give you a reason to be afraid of the dark."

Catching the meaning of the shadow user Naruto nodded before replying, "I give you my word of honor that I would never callously throw away such a thing."

Releasing Naruto and turning to see that Ino had drawn her match as she and her opponent were both too tired to continue Shikamaru quietly responded, "Good, we have an understanding then."

Moving up next to the boy Naruto cut the tension by saying, "You're up next…maybe you should ask Ino and Kiba for your sandals back before you go out there."

Hearing a small guffaw from the lazy pineapple headed boy Naruto knew that things would be just fine between them. Even though he did catch a few mumbled words of how things were too troublesome from Shikamaru as he moved out with Shino to begin their match.

Seeing the two quiet boys simply standing there sizing each other up and hearing Kiba, as well as a few other students, shouting words of encouragement to get the two moving Naruto moved back to see how Chouji was doing.

Looking towards his new friend Naruto was surprised to see that Ino had sat down next to the rotund boy and the two were talking quietly while sharing a small chocolate bar.

Deciding that it would be best not to interrupt the two Naruto moved over to stand next to Hinata, who seemed as if she were shaking enough to start a minor earthquake.

"Yo, you alright Hinata?" asked Naruto with a bit of worry.

Truthfully part of him was still saying his interactions with everyone was just a way for him to protect himself and get what he needed to rebuild Clan Shugorei. However, as he talked with them more and stood there next to Hinata, another part of him replaced those thoughts with unknown feelings.

"_I wonder if this is what it feels like to have friends."_ Naruto thought idly as he waited for the nervous, pale eyed girl._"No, I can't let myself get distracted by such things; I have to put my duty before any of my desires."_

"Ano…I…well I'm not really that strong," stuttered a despondent Hinata, breaking Naruto from considering the matter of friends further.

"Oh?" Naruto questioned with a quirked eyebrow. "Why would you say that? If you train as hard as Shino said at lunch you have to be pretty good."

Blushing at the bit of praise Hinata responded quietly, "I…my family…."

"Yeah you're a Hyuuga," Naruto said not catching the signs Hinata was showing. "You can probably beat down almost anyone, right?"

Though she was flushed from the praise Hinata seemed to pull in on herself as her timidity appeared to grow. She had been twiddling her index fingers together, but now she had brought her right hand up in front of her face and was almost nibbling on her thumb to show her increased nervousness.

Finally picking up on the signs Hinata was displaying Naruto realized just how unsure of herself the young girl was.

"_Wow, hijiji would never believe that a Hyuuga like Hinata would exist. He always said that as a clan the Hyuuga never backed down and always touted their superiority," _reflected Naruto. _"Yet Hinata seems so small and frightened right now."_

Internally debating what he should do Naruto began to speak before he had consciously made a decision, "Hinata, everything is fine. You don't have to worry right now your friends are here by your side."

Seeing the pale eyed girl focus on him Naruto continued, "The only person you have to prove anything to is yourself."

"You want to know something that has always helped me," Naruto said as Hinata gave only a slight nod. "My hijiji told me that it's okay to be afraid sometimes. It's what we do despite being afraid that can be considered courage."

Hinata looked up to Naruto and he noted that she seemed to have stopped shaking. Before he could say anything further they were interrupted by the sound of Iruka calling the match between Shino and Shikamaru.

While Naruto and Hinata had been talking, well Naruto doing most of the talking, it appeared that Shino had triumphed after he and Shikamaru had traded a few blows to test each other. The two quiet students had tried to figure out the best way to win in the completely Taijutsu spar, but Shino had been able to pull his plan off faster than Shikamaru had been. With the young Nara on his knees with Shino holding Shikamaru's arms locked at the shoulder Iruka had awarded the victory to the young Aburame.

As the two departed the field Naruto noted that Hinata's nervousness seemed to return as Iruka began to call her forward. Looking to the field Naruto noted that Hinata's opponent would be Sakura.

"Don't focus on what could happen," Naruto said with a smile in attempt to bolster Hinata's confidence. "Remember, your focus determines your reality. Keep your mind on the here and now, everything else can wait until you are finished."

Giving Hinata a small push out into the field Naruto let out a small hope that she would be alright before suddenly tamping down that thought.

"_I shouldn't be acting like this, so why am I worried about her?"_wondered Naruto. _"It's not just Hinata; I've felt like this when the others had their matches as well. What is this feeling?"_

Deciding that he would need to think on this some more Naruto pushed it to the back of his mind as he watched Hinata and Sakura begin.

Sakura charged forward towards Hinata and tried to connect with a right hook, but the young Hyuuga dodged the blow and countered with a quick jab towards Sakura's midsection. Catching Sakura unaware Hinata followed up with an open palm cross from her left that connected with Sakura's jaw.

The blow didn't have too much force behind it, but it was enough to stagger the already stunned, pink haired girl.

Dropping down Hinata swept out with her right leg to smash Sakura's ankles together. The simple sweep toppled the other girl and Hinata sprang forward to sit on Sakura's back and pull the long haired girl's head back to expose her throat as Hinata brought her hand to lightly rest in the shape of a blade just before the soft flesh.

Seeing that the match was basically over Iruka awarded the win to a very stunned looking Hinata. Getting up from Sakura the smaller girl reached a hand down to help the other girl up.

Though Sakura seemed to be slightly angry at having lost she still accepted the proffered support. As she was helped to her feet and back over to the sidelines by Hinata, the next two students made their way out onto the field.

Moving forward to help the small Hyuuga with Sakura, Naruto noted that Sakura was actually praising Hinata for her win.

"I've never seen you move like that Hinata," Sakura wheezed slightly as her breath was still catching back up to her. "I thought I had an easy win going up against you."

"Just goes to show you that one must never underestimate their opponent," Naruto said with a grin as he lifted Sakura's arm over his shoulders to let Hinata rest. "Your first strike would have gotten you a victory if you had connected and followed up on it, but you went for the quick and easy win while ignoring the dangers posed."

Blinking slightly at Naruto both supporting her as the three moved over to where the others were waiting and offering her advice, Sakura replied, "Yeah, I guess I gambled and lost."

Chuckling a bit at the words and the fact that Hinata was blushing furiously as the group of friends showered her with praise, Naruto responded, "All you need to do is think your moves out a bit more next time, that and I would make the suggestion that you don't take up poker."

That one comment earned him a playful slap on the back of the head by Sakura, who seemed to have fully recovered from her match.

Waiting with the group Naruto began to grow anxious as his match would be next and he was hoping for a good workout. Though he had made a promise to the Hokage about not displaying his Shugorei skills Naruto was confident he could use the basics of the Taijutsu style and not worry too much.

"Ano…," Hinata said as she moved to stand next to Naruto, as he watched the two male students out on the practice field beating away at one another, and interrupted his thoughts.

"Oh Hinata, is there something you needed?" asked Naruto as he kept his eyes trained on the two combatants and analyzed the Academy Taijutsu style that they both were employing.

"Um…it's just that I…well what I mean to say is…," Hinata tried to explain as she blushed in embarrassment and began to twiddle her fingers together. "I want to thank you for um…well for what you said to me…."

Seeing that the Academy Taijutsu style was just a basic style that didn't incorporate anything he needed to worry about Naruto turned to look at Hinata. Catching Naruto's gaze Hinata quickly looked away as her face flushed more and turned a bright shade of red.

"It was nothing. You just needed a push in the right direction," Naruto began with a small smile. "You would have been fine without me cause your pretty strong Hinata.'

Hearing his number being called as the last match had ended Naruto began to remove his weapons. Taking his katana and the equipment pouch from his back plus the kunai holster from his thigh he looked around for a place to set them down.

Naruto suddenly had a thought and looked to Hinata before saying, "Hey would you hold onto these for me Hinata. They're kind of important and I don't want to lose them."

Thrusting the small bundle of weapons towards Hinata he was happy to see that she reached out to take them. Seeing that she had a firm hold on them Naruto turned and began to make his way through the crowd of students.

"_Hmm, I wonder why Hinata is so flushed."_ Naruto thought as he moved forward. _"She's goes from being kind of pale to really red very quickly, I hope she's not sick or something."_

Before he could move out onto the field Naruto suddenly felt an arm wrap around his shoulders breaking his concentration on why Hinata acted so strange. Looking to the owner of the arm Naruto found Kiba hanging onto him with Shikamaru, Shino, and Chouji standing around him.

"Aww man, you are so lucky that you get to actually have a worthwhile match Naruto," Kiba almost whined.

"While I do not share the same opinion as Kiba I will wish you luck," offered Shino vaguely.

"What are you guys talking about?" Naruto questioned in annoyance as they were holding him up from having some fun.

"So troublesome…if you took a moment to look you would see your opponent for this little spar is Sasuke," supplied Shikamaru in a weary tone as Chouji nodded an affirmative without any food in his hands.

Looking out onto the field Naruto spied the raven haired Uchiha stretching out calmly while awaiting the start of the match.

Going quiet for a moment Naruto suddenly exclaimed, "Alright! I've been hoping for some fun and here I have the guy everyone thinks is the best. Finally I get to have a bit of exercise."

Moving away from the small group and towards the center of the field Naruto barely caught the comments being made by his new acquaintances.

"He's a dead man," sullenly stated Shikamaru.

"It's too bad I kind of like him," added Chouji.

"Oh come on Sasuke's not that tough, right Shino?" said Kiba enthusiastically though the young Aburame remained silent.

Hearing the comments and seeing that Ino and Sakura were cheering madly with other girls for Sasuke, Naruto felt a small twitch of annoyance form in his right eye. Coming to a stop facing Sasuke and starting his own stretches the whiskered boy never heard a quiet statement made in his favor by Hyuuga Hinata who had taken a position next to Kiba and the others while holding the items that had been placed in her care.

Finishing his stretches Naruto was about to settle into a loose ready position when the match was interrupted.

"Wait!" yelled Iruka as he moved in between the two students. "I'm sorry but I can't let you fight."

As Naruto began to protest loudly and Sasuke simply glared at the brown haired chunin, Iruka continued, "Naruto just arrived at the Academy yesterday and it would be unfair to send him up against someone like Sasuke seeing as we have no idea what kind of training or even if Naruto received any Taijutsu instruction."

"I can assure you that I am more than capable…," Naruto began to almost growl in protest.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you…," Iruka interrupted Naruto's protests before being interrupted himself.

"Pardon me Iruka, but if Naruto believes that he can handle the situation I think we should let him at least try," offered Mizuki who was standing near the gathered students. "It would be unfair to the other students to show any sort of favoritism towards him just because he hasn't had to spar at the Academy before."

Sighing as Mizuki had made a good point Iruka said, "Very well, but if I think things are progressing out of control I will end the match. Do you both understand?"

Catching a nod of affirmative from both Sasuke and Naruto the scarred Academy instructor moved back to referee from the sidelines as the students seemed to cheer and shout.

Naruto heard many of the kids cheering for Sasuke, who had calmly settled into a fighting stance and was waiting for the match to begin. Deciding that now would be a good time to start employing a bit of the Shugorei style of combat Naruto let a foxy grin cover his face.

"So you're the guy everyone's been talking about," taunted Naruto slightly. "I bet you ain't as tough as they make you out to be. Probably just another spoiled clan kid who…."

Before he could finish his sentence Naruto had to jump back to avoid a right hook similar to the one that Sakura had thrown earlier. The main difference between the two was that Sasuke's had been far faster and had a considerably greater amount of power behind it.

"Ooh, touched a nerve I see," Naruto continued to tease as he settled back into a loose stance. "What's the matter; mommy and daddy not love you?"

The comment had its desired effect as Naruto noted Sasuke's eyes widening and then quickly narrowing in rage before the young Uchiha leapt forward with a spinning kick.

Instead of dodging the kick as he had the punch before Naruto blocked and began to weave as Sasuke started to throw a mixed group of punches and kicks. Weaving and blocking Naruto let a small smile play on his face before he spotted an opening and sent an elbow hard into Sasuke's sternum. The single blow drove the Uchiha back, but before he could recollect himself he found Naruto had launched his own set of attacks.

Lashing out with a few quick jabs and kicks that would barely do anything if they connected Naruto was maneuvering his way inside Sasuke's guard. Finding a new opening when the Uchiha blocked the blond grabbed the other boy's arm and spun to toss Sasuke over his shoulder.

Fully expecting to see the Uchiha on the ground Naruto was unprepared for the kick that caught him in the jaw as the raven haired boy pushed off from where he had landed. Staggering back from the blow Naruto found himself once again on the defensive as Sasuke rained a myriad of blows down upon him.

"_He's not too bad,"_ Naruto quickly thought as he ducked under a roundhouse kick that had been sent to take his head off. _"He's much more focused now and isn't presenting as many openings…guess I just have to make some."_

Giving a small grin Naruto purposefully fell down onto his rump to dodge a second roundhouse that had been chained with the first. Pushing with his arms and extending his legs hard as he rocked back the hidden Shugorei member caught Sasuke in the chest with his backwards rolling kick.

Hearing a muffled 'oomph' Naruto completed his roll and looked to see Sasuke kneeling and clutching the spot that had been hit. Not one to let an opponent catch their breath Naruto launched forward as Sasuke began to rise and the two boys locked up while exchanging punches and knees to each others ribs.

Grinning slightly despite a small throbbing pain in his jaw Naruto didn't even wince as Sasuke's right knee connected. Dropping his left fist Naruto responded with a few punches to the Uchiha's kidneys but it didn't seem to faze the boy.

Breaking apart once again Naruto stood in a loose stance which Sasuke mirrored as the Shugorei turned Uzumaki said, "You know you're pretty good. I don't usually have opponents like you."

Letting a small smirk form on his lips Sasuke answered slowly, "I could say the same for you if I didn't know I was already going to win this."

"Oh really now," Naruto continued grinning in response. "Than I guess you can take it up a few notches then."

With that statement Naruto launched forward again to step inside a surprised Uchiha's guard. With his left shoulder and back facing only inches away from Sasuke's chest Naruto brought his left hand up to give a small back handed blow that mashed the other boy's lips into his face. Following up on the quick strike Naruto pivoted on his left foot to face Sasuke fully and kick out with his right leg in a snap kick.

Once again catching the favorite of the Academy in the chest Naruto pushed forward as his legs got back underneath him towards Sasuke to deliver an axe handle smash to the raven haired head of the Uchiha. Unfortunately the blow only connected with a rising right forearm that had been hastily thrown up to block the incoming move. The hasty block deflected some of the energy behind the double fisted strike, but it still gave glancing blow to the Uchiha's head.

Surprised by the move Naruto didn't catch the movement of Sasuke's left hand until it was mere inches from his face and caught him in a hard blow that turned his head.

Rolling away with the force of the blow Naruto regained his footing only to be assaulted by a renewed Sasuke. The blows were coming faster than before and now had far more strength behind them. Blocking and dodging several, Naruto was still hit by a few and each sent him back a little each time.

Dodging another fist Naruto reached out and grabbed the right arm which was attached to the fist as Sasuke sent his left over to try and catch the blond unaware. However, the move had been anticipated and Naruto weaved his own free arm around to tangle the blow up before it could land. Locked together both boys tried to bring their knees up hit the other and break apart, but the blows merely bounced of one another. Seeing that the shots were futile Naruto twisted his hips to throw Sasuke, but the other boy countered by twisting his own to attempt a similar toss.

Staring at one another as both fought to gain the small bit of leverage needed to get the necessary advantage Naruto spoke, "It would appear we are in a stalemate. Neither of us appears able to hit the other at the moment."

Sasuke offered a small grunt in rebuttal as he attempted once again to exert his strength to gain the needed leverage to win the lockup.

"You won't give in and neither will I, so that leaves us with only one option," Naruto stated frankly as Sasuke's eyes seemed to widen at the idea of a draw.

Giving a smirk Naruto looked the Uchiha dead in the eye and let slip one word, "Improvise."

As the word left Naruto's mouth and reached Sasuke's ears the whiskered blond pulled hard and brought his head forward in a violent headbutt. Catching Sasuke completely unaware Naruto grinned further as he heard a distinct crunching sound as his head smashed into the Uchiha's nose.

"There's no such thing as a draw in real life," quietly whispered Naruto with a smirk as he saw Sasuke drop away before catching the raven haired boy with a well placed kick from his right leg that sent the other boy flying back as blood sprayed out onto the dirt field.

* * *

Students of every age were pouring out of the Konoha Ninja Academy. The end of the school day had come and all were eager to find the release the free time offered before classes started up once again the next morning. However, as they made their way out to form up into their circles of friends one major piece of gossip was circling through all of their minds. Somehow Uchiha Sasuke had gotten beaten in a Taijutsu spar and sent to the school's infirmary.

"I still can't believe you broke his nose!" exclaimed an excited Inuzuka Kiba. "Hell I'm just amazed you survived."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence mutt-boy," shot back a slightly annoyed Uzumaki Naruto to an unfazed Inuzuka.

The story about the spar between the darling of Konoha and the outcast had been the quickly circulating throughout the Academy and more likely than not it would reach the ears of the general population pretty soon.

"_No thanks to Kiba,"_ Naruto internally grumbled.

Naruto's win had resulted in one Uchiha Sasuke having received a bloody and broken nose. While the young prodigy was being whisked away to get medical attention Naruto had heard his Inuzuka acquaintance shouting wildly about how great the fight had been.

While most of the other students, including Shino, Chouji, Shikamaru, and Hinata, were all standing somewhat stunned at the turn of events the feral looking Kiba had been whooping with joy at having seen the stuck up Uchiha get hammered. It didn't matter that Naruto had a good sized bruise on his jaw and was nursing some sore ribs, to Kiba a win was a win.

Naruto actually blamed the other boy for spreading the story that was becoming greatly embellished. Already Naruto had heard students talking about how the Uchiha had nearly gotten torn limb from limb or how Naruto was some sort of demon to have so soundly beaten the favorite student of the Academy.

"_I'm going to catch all sorts of hell now because of this and those damn demon stories," _angrily thought Naruto as he moved with the small group he had met over lunch. _"The villagers are going to be all over my ass now and to add to that I've probably seriously pissed Sasuke off. That kid is probably going to try settling the score."_

Taking a page from Shikamaru the young blond male grumbled lowly, "So damn troublesome, I could have just let things end easily, but no I had to make a stupid, fucking statement."

Chouji broke into Naruto's focus as he followed up Kiba's words with, "Kiba has a point, I was sure Sakura, Ino, and the rest of Sasuke's fan club were going to kill you once they recovered."

"Indeed," intoned a stoic Aburame Shino. "If not for Mizuki taking Sasuke away and Iruka taking control of the situation you would have had a free for all on your hands Naruto."

Barely noticing that the bug user had actually used his first name in an informal manner Naruto responded, "Maybe, but you guys had my back right? Right?"

Looking around the small group Naruto saw all of the boys seemed to be trying to avoid his questioning gaze. Even Hinata was looking at the ground though it was more out of embarrassment that someone thought she could be helpful and trusted.

"You would have left me to fend them off by myself!" yelled a surprised Naruto. "You guys suck, you totally suck!"

Moving over to Hinata, who had taken a moment to look directly at Naruto, the young blond wrapped an arm around the young Hyuuga's shoulders before loudly stating, "At least I know I could count on Hinata. To tell the truth I liked her better anyways!"

Though Naruto had just been playfully teasing the other boys in the group, poor, timid Hinata's mind seemed to overload at hearing someone say that they could not only count on her but also liked her. Slumping over in a dead faint the pale eyed girl slipped from Naruto's grip to fall to the ground.

Having felt Hinata suddenly go limp Naruto turned to spy her unconscious on the ground and began to panic slightly while nervously saying, "Oh shit, what happened? Is she okay?"

Naruto's panic was cut through by the chuckles coming from Kiba who came over to the fallen girl and began to lightly tap her face.

"Don't worry so much," the young Inuzuka said as Naruto looked on. "Hinata has a problem with fainting, but she is usually only out for a moment or two."

Hearing a mumbled 'troublesome' coming from Shikamaru, Naruto's focus was taken away from Hinata, who was just starting to come back around, by two high pitched screams.

"First you injure Sasuke-kun and now poor, little Hinata!" chorused and angry Sakura and Ino who were moving quite quickly towards Naruto with murder in their eyes.

"W-wait a minute…I didn't…," Naruto tired to protest but was forced to shut up as the two girls tried desperately to get a hold of him and pound him into the ground.

"I thought you would be pretty cool Naruto…!" shouted Ino as she saw the whiskered boy dodge out of the way of her kicks.

"But you're just a jerk to pick on Hinata!" yelled Sakura as she finished Ino's statement and launched a few haymaker punches at Naruto's head.

Seeing that Kiba was trying to help a woozy Hinata sit up and that Shikamaru and Chouji seemed far too afraid of Ino to come to his aid, Naruto shifted his eyes to look at the last member of the group for some sort of assistance. Unfortunately for the young blond it seemed that Shino had chosen that moment to find some interesting ants climbing over a rotten stump. Completely on his own Naruto and feeling annoyed that he was being left to his own devices he missed the movements of the two girls that were trying to harm him.

Before he could react Naruto had two fists hit him square in the face and send him flying. Landing in a heap by the stump Shino seemed to be studying religiously Naruto looked up to see that Ino and Sakura were standing back to back. Ino had her right arm and fist out while Sakura had her left. Both girls looked to have a wisp of smoke wafting from their knuckles, but Naruto concluded it was just a trick of the light and his slightly woozy mind.

Thankfully before the two young kunoichi in training could start advancing on him again Hinata spoke up in her quiet voice.

"Ano…Naruto-kun didn't hurt me," the small, dark haired girl began nervously as Ino and Sakura turned to look at her. "I…um…well I guess…I um…fainted again."

Moving over to the young Hyuuga and pushing Kiba out of the way Ino looked an increasingly nervous Hinata in the eye and asked, "Are you sure Hinata? You don't have to stick up for him if he did something wrong."

"Yeah!" chimed in Sakura who was standing besides Ino. "We kunoichi have to stick together or else dumb brutes like Naruto and Kiba will try to walk all over us."

"Hey!" spoke up Kiba defensively only to immediately shrink away as Ino and Sakura turned fiery gazes on the young Inuzuka.

While Hinata reassured the other two girls that everything was alright Naruto began to standup and brush himself off.

"My father always said that kunoichi could be far more dangerous than their male counterparts," calmly stated Shino as he observed the three kunoichi in training speaking softly. "It would appear he was indeed correct as you have just experienced Naruto."

Rubbing his sore face Naruto glanced slightly at the stoic boy before slowly saying, "While I don't think this is exactly what he meant by that, I'll go with it for now."

The small group of students reformed and began to walk down one of the streets leading away from the Academy with Ino and Sakura making sure to interpose themselves between Naruto and Hinata. While the young Hyuuga girl had reassured them that Naruto wasn't at fault it seemed that the natural distrust women sometimes have for men had reared its head and taken a firm hold on Ino and Sakura for the moment.

Coming to a stop as the street they were walking on intersected another, Chouji spoke up from munching on a new bag of chips, "So what do you guys want to do right now?"

All of the young shinobi seemed to grow quiet in thought before Kiba loudly exclaimed, "I know!"

Seeing as everyone's attention was now on him Kiba began to say smartly, "We could all go and investigate the old Clan Shugorei ruins."

"And why would we want to do that?" asked Sakura as she put her hands on the hips of her red dress.

"Because I overheard my mom talking to Hana about how the Shugorei have supposedly reactivated their security system," Kiba answered as if it were common knowledge. "We could try and sneak in to see what all the fuss is over."

"Sounds way too troublesome," Shikamaru stated.

"Ano…um my father…um he said that they Shugorei were protecting…um well, the local foxes," Hinata stuttered out as she twiddled with her fingers.

"Even better!" crowed Kiba. "I can pick up Akamaru and we can try to hunt a few foxes. We haven't had a chance to go on any of the clan hunts, but the rest of the family says it's tons of fun."

As Kiba went on about how fun it would be and began detailing the hunts the members of his clan had told him about Naruto felt his anger beginning to surge.

"_If he knew I held the Kyuubi would he want to hunt me?" _Naruto thought angrily. _"I should let him go and get hunted by HK, then he could see what its like to fear for your life."_

"Ano…" Hinata began as she reached out to touch Naruto's arm.

Turning his angry gaze on the young girl Naruto immediately felt guilt as he frightened the poor girl. Seeing her suddenly seem to shrink Naruto let his anger get tamped down.

"Sorry Hinata, I didn't mean to…," Naruto trailed of quietly. "It's just that I don't like the idea of harming something that hasn't tried to hurt me and is innocent. I'm not angry at you and should've caught myself before I turned to face you."

"_She thinks I'm horrible,"_ thought Naruto sadly as he tried to explain and apologize. _"If…if she knew the truth would she…."_

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted as Hinata spoke up quietly, "It's okay…I…um…it's just that…I don't like the idea either."

Hearing the last part blurted out quickly as Hinata tried not to stutter Naruto felt a small sense of warmth form within that he couldn't explain.

"Such actions would be ill advised," Shino stated calmly as Naruto and Hinata were drawn back into the conversation that Kiba had started.

"Why's that?" asked a curious Chouji who had stopped munching on his chips.

"Because Clan Shugorei is known to be highly secretive," said a bored looking Shikamaru. "I've heard my old man talk about how the Shugorei defenses are some of the best in the village."

"_Well that's partly true,"_ Naruto silently cringed as HK's flaws came back to his mind.

"Aw come on," Kiba almost whined. "The only Shugorei left isn't even in Konoha, so what do we have to worry about."

"I agree with Shino and Shikamaru," Ino spoke up as she shivered slightly. "My dad told me once that trying to test the Shugorei defenses was tantamount to suicide for anyone not at least jounin level. What chance would we have?"

"Even I've heard of Clan Shugorei," Naruto spoke up to try and steer the conversation away from his clan and home. "My hijiji once said that facing a Shugorei on the battlefield was like standing against death itself, that they are masters of combat. I would think that any security system built by them would be just as dangerous as Shikamaru and Ino have said."

Of course Naruto knew the truth of the matter. The Shugorei defense would easily take care of the intrusion by the Academy students. Hell, HK would have a field day playing with anyone that was below chunin before finishing them off. For this small group of students to attempt anything with him nearby would force him to countermand HK's orders.

"_Damn it all!" _Naruto swore silently to himself. _"I only planned that HK would have to deal with stupid villagers and any assassins. I never even thought about what could happen if kids or some unknowing person simply wandered onto the grounds. Fuck!"_

Silently berating himself Naruto made a mental note that he would have to give a new set of parameters to HK so no accidents would occur. Having someone innocent get killed by the psychotic guardian would ruin everything.

"Ano…" Hinata interrupted Naruto's thoughts and pulled him back into the evolving situation as everyone turned to regard the shy Hyuuga.

"Well…um what I mean to say…," the paled eyed girl stuttered as her nervousness increased as everyone looked at her.

"Don't worry so much Hinata," Naruto began to try and bolster the timid girl's spirits so she could say what she wanted. "You're pretty smart so whatever it is I'm sure it's important."

Blushing heavily at how Naruto smiled at her when he said that Hinata tried again saying, "Well it's just that…um some of the members of my clan said that…well um…that the Shugorei have a…a demon to guard their lands."

"What?" Kiba began to laugh slightly unknowingly causing Hinata to lose what little courage she had gained in being encouraged to speak. "A demon? Yeah right! It's probably just an old wives' tale. I bet that…."

"Iie," Shino interrupted. "Hinata may be correct…my own clan members have spoken of a red skeleton like creature that prowls the forests and lands of the Shugorei."

As Hinata seemed to buck up from Shino agreeing with her Chouji jumped in with, "I've heard stories about it too! They say that its eyes are made from hellfire."

Chuckling silently to himself as both Shikamaru, Ino, and Sakura began to add to the description and history of HK, Naruto couldn't help but feel that the rust colored sentinel would be beaming from the fear it seemed to have instilled in the many different peoples of Konoha.

"_I'm almost tempted to have us go to the ruins just to see everyone freak when HK shows up,"_ internally joked Naruto. _"If only I could guarantee that HK would just scare them and not actually try to harm them."_

"Oh come on!" complained Kiba in an attempt to sway his friends. "You don't honestly believe such rubbish do you?"

"I don't know," Naruto said quietly as he took on a contemplating look to hide the truth. "If both the Hyuuga and Aburame think there's something dangerous there I don't think I want test it until we have more information."

"_That aught to do it," _Naruto smirked internally. _"Only Kiba seems like he wants to go now."_

Coming out of his thoughts to see how the Inuzuka would attempt to sway them Naruto and the rest of the group soon found their attention elsewhere as an aggravated voice cut through their conversation.

"Seems you're not so tough after all," stated a perturbed looking Uchiha Sasuke sarcastically as he dropped down into the intersection the group had stopped in from a nearby tree. "After hearing how you 'kicked my ass' I would think you'd be celebrating, instead I find you almost waiting for me."

Eyeing the lone Uchiha, who had a good deal of gauze covering his healing nose, Naruto began slowly, "Look I didn't start any of those rumors, all I did was beat you in a friendly little spar. I don't see…."

"Save your excuses!" exclaimed a clearly angry Sasuke. "I won't be made a fool of and I especially won't let what you said about my clan go!"

Seeing the raven haired boy starting to settle into an offensive stance Naruto let his voice drop to a lower, quieter tone as he responded, "I'm sorry about what I said as our match started, I didn't know about your family until Iruka pulled me aside afterwards. If I had known I would never have tried to use such a dishonorable tactic to rile you up."

Though it was a lie about not knowing the destruction of Clan Uchiha at the hands of one of its own members and how Sasuke was the only survivor, Naruto hoped to avoid a conflict between the two. Normally he would have welcomed a chance to fight, as that was the Shugorei way, but engaging the Uchiha survivor now could potentially reveal information that was supposed to be kept secret.

"_My fight with him earlier was pretty good,"_ thought Naruto as he watched the angry boy for any signs of attack._"If we had taken things farther I would have had to start using more of the Shugorei Taijutsu style and that would've drawn attention. Unfortunately it seems that he's getting ready to go berserk right now so I may not have a choice in using it to defeat him here."_

Thankfully for Naruto it was just about at that time that the rest of the group seemed to have realized how things were progressing and the potential brawl that could erupt.

"Listen pretty-boy!" barked out a defensive Kiba. "Naruto beat you fair and square…don't start…."

"I will not be lectured to by my inferiors," interrupted Sasuke in a hard tone while glaring hard at the group. "Not you dog and certainly not that clanless loser that stands next to you!"

"Ano…just because Naruto-kun isn't…," Hinata interjected bravely only to fall silent as Sasuke pinned her with a heated glare that caused her to slip behind Naruto and Shino for defense.

Staring hard at where Hinata was behind the two boys Sasuke spat angrily, "I don't need to hear such things from a loser like you either. Your clan is already ashamed of you and I can see why if you dirty yourself with trash like…."

Sasuke would have finished the statement if a fist had not suddenly struck him in the mouth. Surprisingly though it was not Naruto or Kiba, the two boys that had been preparing for a fight, that struck the angry Uchiha.

Standing silently in front of the group with one arm cocked and the other being pulled back from its extended position Shino stated in a low, cold tone, "You would do well to be more courteous Uchiha. Hinata is a friend and I will not tolerate those who degrade her to be in my presence."

Though Shino seemed to be as unemotional as he had been at lunch Naruto recognized the fury in the normally stoic boy.

"_I guess Shino's not an emotionless 'bump' like I thought,"_reflected Naruto seeing the new development as Hinata peered around him._"Judging by his tone and the anger that I can feel rolling off of him he must be pretty pissed at the moment. It might also be just my imagination but I can almost detect a buzzing sound, could it be the famous Aburame Kikaichu?"_

Turning to regard Hinata who was still hiding partially behind him, Naruto took note of the situation. Kiba was ready to back Shino up. Shikamaru and Chouji seemed to be on edge, but looked to be more prepared to go on the defensive if things should get out of hand. It was the reactions of Ino and Sakura that most interested Naruto however.

"_Both of them seem to be torn right now,"_ Naruto silently noted. _"It would appear that they are having difficulty resolving their friendship towards Hinata with their crushes towards Sasuke. Interesting."_

Stepping forward to move up next to Shino as implications swirled through his head Naruto stopped mid-step as he felt a small hold on his vest. Looking down he found that Hinata had taken hold of the fabric, but more importantly was looking at him with pleading eyes.

Flashing a comforting smile Naruto gently removed Hinata's hand and walked past Shino towards Sasuke.

"Coming to fight now that you think I've been softened up?" the raven haired boy asked in disgust.

Giving an inaudible sigh Naruto stopped in front of a now standing Sasuke and extended a hand while saying, "Look I think we started out on the wrong foot here, so let's start over. I'm Uzumaki Naruto and it's a pleasure to meet you."

Standing there with his right hand out in an introductory handshake Naruto could sense the differing reactions. Shino seemed actually surprised while Kiba seemed dumbfounded. Shikamaru and Chouji both had their jaws on the ground in fact Chouji had let a full bag of chips spill out onto the dirty street. Ino and Sakura looked torn still over their ideas of friendship and their supposed crush on the Uchiha heir, but were at least moving to cover Hinata should something break out. Speaking of Hinata, the shy girl had let out a small gasp, but looked to be frightened not for her sake but for Naruto's.

Looking to Sasuke, who seemed to regard him coldly, Naruto slowly said, "We both could benefit from the other if given the…oomph!"

Protests from Kiba cut loudly through the panic that gripped the small group of friends as Naruto stumbled to the ground clutching his stomach from having taken a hard blow from Sasuke.

"You're nothing and will always be nothing loser," Sasuke stated with an air of superiority as he looked down at Naruto before shifting his gaze to the other boys who had suddenly moved to get Naruto's back.

Before Kiba, Shino, Chouji, or Shikamaru could do anything Naruto held up a hand as Hinata tried to check to see if he was okay.

"Don't," Naruto began in a pained tone as he remained crouched while taking slow, deep breaths. Looking up at Sasuke the young, whiskered blond continued with a bit of steel to his voice, "I hope we're even now Sasuke, I'd rather be your friend than your enemy. You'd be surprised to find out we're very much alike."

With a small sneer the last Konoha Uchiha wordlessly leapt back up into the foliage of the nearby trees to disappear from view.

Standing back up and giving a small nod of thanks to Hinata for her concern Naruto looked over to the others. Kiba seemed ready to chase after Sasuke and beat him into the ground and while Shino did not show any outward signs of desiring the same, Naruto had a feeling that the quiet Aburame would gladly help if asked. Chouji had a concerned look for Naruto and seemed to still be stunned at all that had occurred, though Shikamaru seemed to showing annoyance at the situation. The only two people that Naruto couldn't see next to him were Sakura and Ino.

Both girls were glancing back and forth quickly between Naruto with the rest of the group and where Sasuke had disappeared. Concern seemed to play on their faces, but it was unclear where that concern was directed.

Ino was the first to break the silence that had descended upon the intersection as she sighed and said softly, "I think it's time I head home guys."

"What!" exclaimed Kiba who began to move towards long haired blonde. "You're just going to leave after all that? We need to go and…."

"No we don't," Naruto interjected quietly drawing everyone's attention. "Sasuke was just mad about what happened earlier and needed to prove, even if it was just to himself, that he is still the best at the Academy. I'm not charging off after him as I would have done something similar if I had been in his place."

"But…," the Inuzuka tried to protest.

"That is a very mature attitude you are taking Naruto," Shino said calmly with a slight nod.

"Not really," chuckled the whiskered boy as he raised his hand up to scratch the back of his head. "I'm just going to show him up at the Academy some more instead. Maybe he'll find it's not so bad to have a rival."

"Take him on where he stands to lose the most, a good plan," nodded Shikamaru with Chouji smiling in agreement before Ino and Sakura both bonked Naruto on the head.

"Don't be stupid Naruto," Ino began with her fist held over the spot where Naruto's head had been.

"You just got lucky against Sasuke-kun," finished Sakura as she stood in a mirror image of the Yamanaka.

Clutching his head as he laid on the ground, Naruto felt a small smirk attempting to tug at his lips though he quickly concealed it as Hinata looked him over with concern as Shikamaru mumbled about how troublesome the whole situation was.

* * *

Smiling as he made his way home the hidden Shugorei, Uzumaki Naruto, let a small chuckle echo into the forest surrounding a section of the Shugorei lands.

After getting hit on the head by Sakura and Ino the small group had decided to break up for the day and meet back up tomorrow at the Academy. Kiba had been a mixture of frustrations at not being allowed to go after Sasuke and having had his idea of sneaking onto the Shugorei lands shot down as he left to check up on his dog. Shino, as usual, had simply seemed emotionless as he bid his farewell while mentioning something about hives. Chouji and Shikamaru had waved to the others and had gone off to find 'first supper' as the young Akimichi called it. The two had quickened their pace when Ino went charging after them for eating too much and being lazy when they could help her with flowers. Following behind Ino had been Sakura who yelled that she wouldn't be fooled by Ino's attempt at going after Sasuke. As the pink haired girl ran off, Naruto and Hinata had found themselves standing alone. The two had bid each other farewell, though Hinata had stuttered out something that Naruto thought was to that affect before she had quickly bolted down the road.

Having been left to himself, Naruto had simply given a small grin and leapt up into the nearby trees in a move similar to the long departed Uchiha. Using the arbor scattered across the village Naruto had made his way to the outskirts of the forest surrounding the Shugorei ruins without any notice.

"_Well today went better than I could have hoped,"_ the young Kyuubi vessel thought cheerfully as he jumped down from a tree branch. _"I've started building relations just as I wanted to."_

Stepping into a beam of sunlight that had broken through the dense foliage Naruto looked only slightly dirty from the day's events. The bruise that had been on his chin had already disappeared and the pain in his ribs was no more than a dull ache that was slowly fading to nothing.

"_A Hyuuga, a Nara, an Akimichi, an Aburame, an Inuzuka, and a Yamanaka,"_ Naruto reflected as he moved further through the woods. _"I had been hoping for only one or two of them at first, but instead I get the whole set on the first try. I may have even picked up some help from Haruno, though I'll have to investigate some more to see what she may be able to offer."_

Slowing his quick pace for a moment to step over a large, fallen tree Naruto continued with his thoughts, _"Hmm, how do I get the Uchiha though? Sasuke doesn't seem like the guy who would easily make friends and I'm already on his shit list. No one seems to be close to him despite Ino and Sakura trying."_

"_I'll need to think on how to…."_ Naruto began to contemplate before being interrupted.

"_**Using people who just want to be your friends for your own gain? What would Jinjiro say?"**_

Coming to a complete halt perched on a small boulder that had been in the way Naruto recognized the voice he had encountered yesterday.

"You!" Naruto growled lowly as his eyes began to scan the surrounding area. "Who are you? What do you want? Show yourself coward!"

"_**I am no coward boy!"**_ the unknown voice replied angrily before calming slightly. _**"As to who I am and what I want…well… if you don't know yet then I pity you."**_

"Stop speaking in riddles and show yourself!" Naruto nearly yelled in frustration.

"_**Not until you figure things out,"**_ the voice spoke with a clearly humorous tone. _**"And the way you're going that isn't going to happen for awhile."**_

"I'm warning you…," threatened Naruto as his frustration grew from being unable to identify where the voice was coming from.

"_**I grow tired of your ignorance,"**_ yawned the voice mockingly. _**"Perhaps you should talk to that old man you liken to a grandfather?"**_

Suddenly getting worried Naruto asked quickly, "Why? Don't you dare threaten jiisan! I'll…."

"_**I never said anything about threatening him, that was all you kid,"**_ the voice mocked in low tones as it interrupted Naruto once again._**"You ought to be careful about jumping to conclusions so readily."**_

"Then why should I…?" Naruto began to question with a confused yet guarded voice.

"_**Help you understand if you choose to listen…,"**_ the voice replied as it began to fade away.

"Wait, what do you…?" Naruto tried to question before the voice had completely faded.

Hearing no reply but the sounds of the forest returning after having been disturbed by his voice and his small release of killing intent Naruto let out a frustrated yell that reverberated throughout the trees.

* * *

**AN:**_Well another chapter done, I hope you all enjoyed it. The line describing Snow Country comes from the Red Vs. Blue series, love those guys over at Now some of you may be asking why Sasuke seems like a prick, or maybe not as you could be cheering for all I know. Anyways, I just want to tell you before anyone gets angry that this is just the beginning to how things between Sasuke and Naruto will develop, as time progresses it will change. I really think that the two, even in canon, have a more complex acquaintance than many give credit. I fully plan to explore that complexity, but I need a place to start and where better than the natural development of 'new kid at school pisses off the favorite'. It may be a little cliché, but I assure you that how I develop things will make it all worthwhile. Well that all being said I hope you will stick around for the rest as I think you will enjoy how things go. Thanks for reading and I'll get you another chapter out soon…hopefully._

**Tyrchon**  
-,-


	8. Chapter 7: Ebb and Flow

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 7 – Ebb and Flow**_

* * *

Dusk was slowly falling over Konohagakure as the warm, autumn sun dipped slowly behind the western hills. As the shadows grew light from lamps, torches, and electric signs began to come to life and bring a sense of life to the darkening streets. Groups of people, shinobi and civilian alike, moved about enjoying the onset of evening as restaurants prepared for the influx of customers and merchants prepared wares that specially catered to clientele that only shopped during the waning hours of the day.

In his office, high within the Hokage Tower, the Sandaime watched with interest from behind heavy, glass windows as the night life of Konoha awakened as usual. Letting his eyes wander over the half of the village that could be seen from where he stood the old man noted that for once everything seemed right in the world. Relaxing slightly while filling his pipe, the old Sarutobi glanced over his shoulder to the silent individual that sat before his desk.

The matron of the Konoha orphanage had come by request to visit the Hokage's office and was currently reading over a small stack of papers that outlined the budget amendment that had been put together to bring much needed funds to the struggling institute.

Noting that he hadn't heard a single word of complaint yet from the old woman the Sandaime quietly thought, _"It would seem that everything that is being proposed meets with her approval. Now if only I could ensure that the piece that would recreate the 'Ne' program does not get included."_

It had only been a day since the council had met and the issue of the orphanage's funding had been resolved. Unfortunately to do so an idea of creating an ANBU training program that utilized failed genin candidates had been added to gain the support of the hardliner faction within the council.

"_What was Naruto thinking by making such a suggestion?"_ the old man silently questioned with frustration. _"I know he wanted to help the matron and the orphanage, but in doing so he's allowing the war-hawks on the council to come closer to achieving dominance. If he doesn't decide to stop in for a visit like I suggested yesterday I just might have to have an ANBU member or two bring him here."_

Turning back to see that the matron had finished the funding proposal the Hokage asked, "Well…does it meet with your approval?"

Giving a short nod the old woman said quietly, "I couldn't have hoped for anything like this, it is more than enough to make the necessary renovations and improvements as well as provide for the needs of the children."

"Then I am glad it is to your liking," said Sarutobi as he puffed lightly on his pipe.

"It is, but it's just that…," the old matron hesitantly began. "Something like this is too good to be true. I keep waiting to read a page telling of the cost we must pay."

Frowning slightly the Sandaime spoke, "The price is nothing that you need to worry about. I will make sure that nothing is added at the last minute to change the proposal and I am positive that Naruto will help me to guarantee it. Everything else I am sure will be dealt with after it receives final approval from the council over the coming weeks."

Allowing a small smile and a few unshed tears to show her joy at now having something to ensure that the orphanage would survive the matron added, "I am so proud of Naruto, if he hadn't come along when he did I don't know what would have happened. Part of me always worried that he could be corrupted by the Kyuubi, but everything I have ever seen from him tells me that he will become not just a great man, but a good one as well."

"Hmm," the old Hokage hummed as he turned to look out the windows again. "I can only hope you are proven correct."

Hearing the scrap of wood on wood the aging Sandaime knew that the matron had risen from her chair and taken her cane in preparation for heading back to the orphanage.

"An ANBU member is waiting to take you back," the old leader spoke as his gaze remained focused upon the village that lay before him. "While I know you are happy about how things have turned out I would ask you to keep the details quiet until we are sure that everything is settled."

"Is there a problem I should be aware of?" the old matron asked with worry lightly tainting her question.

"Iie," was the simple response as the Hokage turned to see his guest out. "I merely want to ensure that no one tries to take advantage of the majority that has formed on the council for this measure."

"I understand Hokage-sama," the old woman said quietly as she executed a small bow before heading out the doorway.

Turning back to the windows after the kindly old woman had left the Hokage let out a small sigh. While he was glad to almost have the issue completely resolved part of him worried about the manipulations that Naruto was managing through Ayeka, the Shugorei Steward.

"_The way Danzou responded when the proposal was put forward could lead one to believe that there is some sort of conspiracy starting to form,_" the man known as 'The Professor' thought tiredly as he drew on his pipe. _"Bah, I'm getting too old for…."_

Before he could finish his thoughts the Sandaime noted the reflection of a young blond standing behind him. Turning to make sure that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him the old Hokage found one Uzumaki Naruto standing quietly before his desk.

"Your evasion skills are quite impressive Naruto-kun," Sarutobi said quietly as he breathed in the acrid yet sweet taste of pipe tobacco. "If I wasn't the Hokage I dare say you could have almost snuck into the tower without me noticing at all, Jinjiro would be proud of you."

Giving a small nod as he took a seat in the empty chair that had been vacated by the matron's exit Naruto commented, "I was under the impression by the way your eyes widened when you saw my reflection that you didn't even detect me that early Hokage-jiisan."

With a small grunt to hide his embarrassment at being caught in his fib the Sandaime responded, "Even when you had no shinobi training you always had a knack for escape and evasion, that you can even fool me sometimes is only a testament to how your skills could grow given the proper amount of training and time."

"Both of which are wasted by my attendance at the Academy," the whiskered boy fired back resolutely. "I squander time that could be better spent elsewhere rather than listening to those lectures and participating in their simple exercises."

"Playing political games instead perhaps?" Sarutobi inquired slowly as he moved to take his own chair on the opposite side of the desk.

"My proposals seemed to have worked out for the most part," Naruto answered as he gazed stubbornly towards his grandfather figure. "If I'm not mistaken I believe that Matron-baba was just leaving your office and seemed well pleased with the new budgetary amendment for the orphanage."

"I am more concerned with the ramifications that your proposals will have," the old Hokage responded evenly while sending a soft gaze back to the young blond before him. "The part that asks for failed genin candidates to be placed in an ANBU training program is…."

"Necessary, you and I both know it," interjected Naruto with an even tone. "I needed something to grease the wheels for the orphanage funding, but more importantly it will help to strengthen Konoha by giving us a well trained reserve to supplement our forces incase of war."

Calmly assessing the whiskered boy the Hokage could not help but feel that he had heard a similar argument before. Several hardliners including Danzou and even Jinjiro, when he had still sat on the council, had used such an argument for the initial creation of the 'Ne' program. While the program had gotten approved against his wishes the Sandaime couldn't help but partly agree that there had been times when the faux ANBU of the program had fortified Konoha in its moment of need. However, it had been dismantled after it had been discovered that Danzou was using it to build up a power bloc through intimidation and extortion. To recreate a similar program now could allow the scarred Elder the chance to repeat history.

"But we are not at war Naruto-kun," the aging Sandaime argued calmly in the hope that he could move the conversation to a point where Naruto could be persuaded to drop support for the measure. "Many of the other shinobi powers could see the program as a prelude to war. I will not allow it to be said that Konoha was the one who broke the peace we now have."

"Peace is a lie," the young Shugorei responded unemotionally as he quoted a tenet of his clan's core philosophy. "It is merely a flowery term used to describe a time of cheating between the times of fighting."

Cringing slightly at hearing Naruto talk in such a manner Sarutobi began to greatly regret allowing the boy to leave with Jinjiro. Before he could offer a counterpoint Naruto continued.

"While Konoha hasn't fully engaged in any major military conflicts in nearly eight years you can't expect me to believe that we have not taken covert action against those who would threaten us," quickly stated Naruto as he crossed his arms in a gesture of defiance.

Sighing heavily the more experienced shinobi answered, "That is hardly a valid point…."

"No, it is exactly the point!" Naruto stated heatedly as he came to his feet and slapped his palms down on the Hokage's desk. "Sooner or later somebody is going to make a mistake and Konoha will once again enter into a state of open hostility and warfare with another power. As it stands right now I hardly think that the wannabes you have training at the Academy could even survive such an event."

"I think you underestimate the 'Will of Fire' that exists within their hearts," Sarutobi replied calmly as he leaned back into his chair and rested his hands on the armrests. "Those 'wannabes' as you term them know what it means to be a shinobi of Konoha and will do what is necessary to make sure this village survives. By your level of skill they may be inferior, but at least they know what is important to them."

Stepping back from the Hokage's desk in a stunned silence Naruto felt a small sting from the verbal rebuke that had been aimed at him.

Pausing to recompose his argument Naruto looked back to the old man sitting calmly behind the desk before saying, "Honor and duty guide me in making my decisions. I…."

"That's just your problem Naruto-kun," the man known as 'The Professor' remarked calmly as he leaned forward to rest his elbows upon his desk while lacing his fingers together before his face. "You think that honor and duty are all that you need, but there is so much more out there that I want you to experience and let guide you."

Seeing Naruto take on a small look of embarrassment at his words the grandfatherly Hokage continued while allowing his voice to take on a tone of concern, "The training you received in both mind and body from Jinjiro taught you to prepare for the worst possible scenarios, but in trying to follow through on such thinking you are missing out on what it means to live."

"I know what it means to…," Naruto tried to say, but was cut off as the Sandaime continued.

"No my boy, you only think you do," the wise old man stated slowly. "You wish to become a great and powerful shinobi, but in the end you would regulate yourself to being nothing more than a tool to be used."

"But shinobi are supposed to be tools for their villages," Naruto attempted to protest.

"In a sense they are, but before that they are supposed to be people," Sarutobi partially corrected. "Konoha has always prided itself on the balance that its shinobi achieve. You can't simply be a blunt instrument nor can you afford to be just a sharp one."

Letting himself sit back in his chair to convey a sense to ease to the tense atmosphere that pervaded the office the Hokage continued, "You must be like a well tempered blade Naruto-kun, balanced so that your strength does not cause you to break or weaken over time, flexible so that you may detect even the slightest nuance."

Naruto appeared to look abash as he focused upon his feet and the wooden floor beneath them rather than meet the soft gaze of the old man who was eyeing him with concern.

"I was hoping that by attending the Academy you would be able to develop such traits on your own," the Sandaime quietly spoke as Naruto brought his eyes up to regard the man.

Sitting back down into the chair that he had almost knocked over when he had risen to protest, Naruto quietly replied, "How can I possible learn anything there that I don't already know?"

Chuckling lightly the grandfatherly Sarutobi answered, "You have been taught many things that are special, but sometimes the best things that you can hope to learn come from not only experience, but are so subtle that by the time you have learned them you don't realize it and yet can't remember what it was like to be without them."

"I don't understand," a confused Naruto responded hesitantly as he was still embarrassed at the scene he had caused.

"One day you will, but like the best things it will take time and faith on your part," answered the weathered, old man in the red and white triangle shaped hat.

"But it's all so boring," the whiskered boy almost whined.

As a small smile passed over his face the Hokage quirked an eyebrow as he replied, "Oh? I was under the impression that you seemed to enjoy meeting your new friends today, not to mention that I know you enjoyed your little spar with young Sasuke."

Flushing slightly with anger and rising quickly once again from his chair Naruto nearly yelled, "You've been spying on me? I thought I could trust…."

"It is nothing so dramatic," the old man interrupted calmly indicating that Naruto should take his seat once again. "Iruka delivered a report regarding the matter because I wanted to be kept aware of how you were settling in at the Academy. I assure you that there has been no attempt to invade your privacy."

Seeing Naruto take on an embarrassed look Sarutobi continued, "I am glad to see that you are making friends and starting a rivalry, though I was hoping that you and Sasuke would relate to each other better as friends than as rivals."

"It's not my fault that he couldn't take the loss," Naruto replied grumpily. "I told him that it was nothing, but he's far too stubborn."

"Just like you in so many ways," the old man chuckled as he reloaded his pipe with new tobacco.

"Hmmph," Naruto responded as he turned his head to look away.

Seeing the whiskered blond take on such a pose brought memories back to the Sandaime about two similar discussions that had gone along similar lines. The first had been an eleven year old Jiraiya and the second with a ten year old Minato. It couldn't simply be coincidence that all three had encountered similar difficulties with rivalries with a peer.

Giving a small smile the crafty old 'Professor' replied, "You know your father also had difficulties with a rival when he was about your age. He was so…."

"I don't care!" interrupted Naruto in a hard tone. "Whatever that man did is of no concern to me."

Looking at the indignant posture that Naruto had taken on while sitting in the chair the old Hokage sighed and thought, _"Damn you for coloring him in such a way Jinjiro."_

"Like it or not Naruto you hail from two of the strongest heritages and traditions not only in Konoha, but the world itself," Sarutobi calmly explained as he focused back on the situation at hand. "You have spent a great deal of time learning the aspects of one while neglecting the other. I will admit that your Shugorei heritage and its traditions are significant, but that doesn't mean you should…."

"It's all that I need," Naruto bitterly interjected. "Shugorei tradition had produced some of the finest shinobi of this village. How can you deny such a thing?"

Folding and unfolding his hands to ease his frustration the Sandaime remarked slowly, "Along with fine shinobi the Shugorei have also produced some of the worst atrocities ever attributed to Konoha, or did Jinjiro fail to mention exactly why he was exiled?"

Shifting a steely gaze on to his grandfather figure Naruto answered coldly, "You punished him for upholding the honor of his clan and Konoha in a time of war."

"Don't let yourself be fooled Naruto," the Hokage began in a low tone. "Jinjiro was punished because he violated orders, illegally enlisted the aid of fellow Konoha shinobi, and then committed an act of genocide."

Seeing the boy offer no response in defense as he clearly knew the words to be true, Sarutobi continued while seeming to gaze at some far off point, "While he tried to rationalize his actions by citing honor as his justification the inexorable truth was Jinjiro was simply out for vengeance. That is a path that you would do very well to avoid Naruto-kun."

"Do you think I'll go off on some crusade to avenge hijiji?" the young boy asked through clenched teeth while giving an almost tearful look towards the old leader.

Sighing heavily as his remarks had opened up wounds that had just begun to heal the Sandaime spoke slowly, "No, I think you're smart enough to realize that such actions will ultimately gain you nothing but more pain. However, the path of vengeance I was referring to follows a different course."

As the words reached Naruto, the young Shugorei turned Uzumaki seemed to grow confused at their meaning. Opening his mouth to speak the boy found that the old man sitting across from him was continuing in his explanation.

"The path of vengeance that you walk is one against your father," the old 'Professor' explained. "You seek to punish him for sealing the Kyuubi into you and in doing so leaving you without your parents and family. You hate him for that and you strike out at him because of it, but in truth you are only fighting against yourself and hurting yourself by blaming him."

Giving a small puff on his pipe the Hokage added in a strong voice, "Minato and you are more alike then Jinjiro would've had you believe Naruto. Don't throw away that part of you simply because…."

"I said I don't care!" an angry, whiskered blond yelled as his anger seemed to return though his voice seemed to tremble slightly with less conviction as he said it. "Biologically he may be my predecessor, but that doesn't mean I care about him or whatever he did!"

Shaking slightly as his eyes closed and his head bowed Naruto's voice broke slightly as he yelled out, "I hate him!"

Rising up from his chair the old man quickly moved around his desk before coming to a stop directly in front of Naruto before lashing out with a hard slap straight to the angry face of the boy as frustration finally overrode patience.

"Listen well Naruto," Sarutobi growled out while the young blond lay stunned. "Your father did what was needed not only to save this village but to save you as well. Do you honestly think that if he, your mother, the Shugorei, and the others who died that night hadn't sacrificed themselves you would have been any better off as one of the many corpses that the Kyuubi no Youko would have left behind?"

Glaring down at the whiskered progeny of his successor the old man continued, "I could yell at you for being foolish and I could beat you until you are black and blue, but such measures would be pointless in trying to make you see who your father truly was. Such a thing can only be accomplished by you if you truly wish for it to happen."

"I hope you can one day realize the truth about your father Naruto," the Sandaime finished quietly as he moved back to look out the window onto a now darkened Konoha.

"My feelings on the matter will never change," promised the young Kyuubi vessel with a low growl as he stood up from where he had been laying on the floor. "The new training program will pass even if you attempt to veto it."

"Then we have nothing more to discuss then," responded a tired Hokage with a sigh of disappointment. "I hope our next conversation is more pleasant Naruto-kun."

"One can only hope," the Naruto said flatly as he exited the office and the doors shut quietly.

Standing alone before the window Sarutobi wondered gloomily, _"All of my successes in making sure Konoha remains standing and prosperous, yet why are my failures so haunting?"_

Turning back to his desk and sitting down in his chair his thoughts continued, _"Orochimaru, Asuma, and now Naruto, despite my best efforts it seems I failed each in their own way."_

Looking over his desk to see if any paperwork remained to be done or could be worked upon so as to alleviate the load that would be waiting to greet him tomorrow morning the old man spied a small scroll that hadn't been on his desk previously. Reaching over to the roll of paper the Hokage ran a quick diagnostic jutsu to make sure it was a normal scroll before opening it up to review the contents. What he found gave him pause.

"_Jiji remember that the roots of the tree run deep and can't be destroyed, only controlled. Be the one who controls them or find someone whom you trust who can. I will offer support to help circumvent the hardliners who believe that this is their chance to tip the political scales in their favor, but I can only do so in a way that appears as a compromise between you and them. Danger is rising from within so remember to know thy enemy as well as yourself in order to prevail, just because your adversary is crippled does not mean he is blind, deaf, or dumb."_

Reading over the short message several times to garner every bit of information from it 'The Professor' found a feeling of warmth returning to his heart. It seemed that he hadn't failed with Naruto just yet despite the sore points revolving around Minato.

Focusing on the message he thought, _"From the way Naruto wrote this it's almost as if he believes Danzou is still running a version of 'Ne' without my knowledge, but that would be impossible. Unless…."_

Leaning back into his chair the Hokage puffed on his pipe and mulled over a disturbing thought, _"The only way for Danzou to have kept some part of 'Ne' running and hidden would be if he had allies not only within the ANBU but also within my own allies on the council, but who could it be."_

Gritting his teeth and chewing on the end of the pipe Sarutobi rose from his chair as he picked up the small scroll once again. Rolling the paper back up he slowly channeled chakra into it before it began to disintegrate in a burst of bluish flame.

"_Keeping it places Naruto in jeopardy if Danzou should discover that Jinjiro is not the one directing Ayeka…,"_ the Hokage thought before pausing and feeling a new sense of worry welling up. _"What if he already knows about Naruto?"_

Stretching out his senses to see if any chakra residue was out of place nearby so as to indicate that someone had been observing him and his meetings the old man reflected with determination, _"If Danzou and the hardliners think that they can simply get away with what they're attempting they will be sorely mistaken."_

Finding nothing out of place did not quell Sarutobi's worry, but merely enhanced it as the lack of evidence could indicate that Danzou's operatives were better hidden than he could suspect.

Moving to leave the office and return to his home to review the situation in a place he was certain would be safe the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, 'The Professor' himself, internally planned,_"Despite our difference of opinion tonight it seems that Naruto doesn't wish to see me get swept away by the hardliners. I'll have to really work hard to make sure his efforts aren't in vain. He may have given me the key to dealing with the situation, but I'm going to need to see whom I can trust so I can trick Danzou into his own trap."_

As he left the tower and began his way back home the old man couldn't help but think of just how much Naruto could be like Minato and Jinjiro both at the same time. Those thoughts brought a small smile to his face as he hoped the young blond would one day realize such things for himself.

Back in the now darkened office moonlight began to filter in through the windows the Hokage had been so keenly observing from. As the pale beams of light partially illuminated the room, two small dots of water shone upon the floor where Naruto had righted himself before exiting. Having gone unnoticed by the old, village leader the only one to know of their existence was the young, blond heir who had lost control for a brief moment as truth hit home and forced the two small tears to fall. Sitting silently the tiny droplets would be gone before anyone came to the office the next morning.

* * *

While Naruto and the Sandaime were having their meeting a different meeting was being held by a small group. Located in a small barbeque restaurant within the heart of Konoha's dining district two generations of the InoShikaCho trio were enjoying the time to bond. Well such a statement could be a bit of an exaggeration as the elder trio was enjoying the time far more than their children were.

"Oi, another round of sake over here!" yelled a slightly inebriated Nara Shikaku.

"Mom's going to get pissed if you come home stinking of alcohol," an annoyed Nara Shikamaru commented to his father as the elder Nara took a long gulp from one of the new bottles of sake that the waiter had brought to the table.

Waving off his son's comment Shikaku responded in a slow drawl demonstrating his rising level of intoxication, "Don't' worry so much, she'll just make me sleep on the couch for the night."

"Too troublesome," said Shikamaru in reply as he knew that one Nara Yoshino would give her husband a nice beating with a rolling pin, pan, or whatever was on hand.

"You need to learn to enjoy the time you have more Shikamaru," Yamanaka Inoichi interjected at seeing the young Nara not enjoying himself. "When you finally grow old and have kids like us you'll find that times like these are a rarity."

"Yeah right Otousan," remarked Ino as she saw her father slowly sip at a saucer of sake. "You go out with Shika's and Chouji's dads almost once per week. How Kaasan puts up with it I'll never know."

"Now, now hime don't get angry with me," the elder Yamanaka tried to reason with his annoyed daughter. "I'll get you that new dress you've been looking at if you calm down."

Listening to Ino perk up with the offer Shikamaru realized that the only way that Inoichi didn't suffer for these little outings like his own father did was because the man was smart enough to bribe his wife with something she had found recently fashionable. It seemed the trait was being carried over to Ino now which would most likely make life complicated later on for both himself and Chouji.

Speaking of the young Akimichi, Shikamaru looked over to the end of the table where the round boy sat with his own father, Akimichi Chouza. Both were gobbling down plates of food, having ordered entire pages from the menu instead of a single dish as the others at the table had. At least both of them seemed content with everything.

"_One of these days I'm going to have to figure out how Chouji's mother doesn't come down as hard as mine does while not requiring the bribes that Ino's does," _Shikamaru silently contemplated.

"Oh I almost forgot to tell you the news," Chouji suddenly stated halting Shikamaru's thoughts and causing those at the table to turn and regard the plump boy considering that it was rare for an Akimichi to actually pause from eating to make polite conversation at the dinner table.

"Well don't leave us in suspense," came the low chuckling voice of Chouza as he also paused his appetite to respectfully listen to his son.

With a large grin Chouji responded happily, "Though I'm not sure how Ino regards him Shikamaru and I now have a new friend added to our group."

"Oh?" the elder Akimichi replied with a smile to match his son's grin. "That is excellent news and makes our dinner into a true celebration."

"Hmm," hummed Inoichi in response. "Why would Ino not regard him as a friend as well if you and Shika seem to like him Chouji?"

Gulping down a fresh set of meat from a plate that had just arrived at the table the jovial boy answered, "Well it's just that Sasuke doesn't seem to approve of him despite the…."

"Don't say such things!" interrupted a clearly upset Ino. "Sasuke-kun's just not used to dealing with someone who could offer him a challenge. I'm sure that everything will work out once he discovers that it was a lucky win."

Slurping another mouthful of sake from a square, wooden cup Shikaku asked, "This new friend managed to beat the Uchiha did he? Well he must be an interesting guy; we'll have to have him join us some night. What's his name?"

Sighing with the realization that he would have to help his father home from the restaurant later Shikamaru replied tiredly, "Uzumaki Naruto, that's his name and it wasn't just luck that he beat Sasuke. I clearly noticed that Naruto was able to match every blow and move before he ended the spar."

Finishing his statement Shikamaru was surprised to find that the three elder men at the table had fallen completely silent and had stopped what they were doing. Chouza had stopped eating and even placed his chopsticks down, something that was unheard of when food was still on the table. If that wasn't strange enough Shikamaru could have sworn he caught a small set of glances being exchanged by the three.

"What did you just say?" Shikaku asked in a tone that seemed to indicate that the man had quickly sobered up.

"Ano, Naruto was able to beat Sasuke in a spar," Chouji answered hesitantly as he clearly sensed the tension at the table.

"How did he do that?" Inoichi inquired in a quiet voice having forgotten about his saucer of sake and plate of food.

"Well he broke Sasuke-kun's nose with a headbutt," Ino attempted to explain as the silence was beginning to creep her out. "But it was just a lucky shot, I'm sure Sasuke-kun would have won if he hadn't taken that blow."

"You're sure that he said his name was Uzumaki Naruto?" the low voice of Chouza cut in.

Looking to his normally happy father Chouji asked, "Is something the matter Tousan?"

"Hmm?" the large man grunted questioningly. "Oh, yes everything's fine. I'm just surprised to hear that the young Uchiha lost to someone that is relatively new to the Academy."

While the other two elders of the InoShikaCho trio mumbled in agreement as Chouji returned to his meal and Ino began to wonder about what accessories she might need with her new dress Shikamaru noted that their father's had not yet resumed their normal actions at the table.

Once again catching a subtle set of glances being exchanged between the three the young Nara wondered, _"There's more to this then just Sasuke losing. They went quiet when we mentioned Naruto. Could it have something to do with him?"_

Resuming his slow eating of the small tray of food before him Shikamaru began to slowly run through ideas to try and identify what his new friend could be involved with that would elicit such a response from the elder shinobi at the table. Finding that he had too little information to even begin formulating probable scenarios the lazy boy decided that he would try and ask the whiskered blond some questions when he got the chance.

* * *

On the other side of the village from the small restaurant lay the compound of Clan Inuzuka. From just beyond its walls came the sounds of barks and growls as the many canines of the clan enjoyed the hearty meat dinner that they were being provided. Towards the center of the complex lay several large homes, one of which belonged to the alpha female of the clan, Inuzuka Tsume.

Within the home one could find her small family gathered around a comfortable living room that had a multitude of cushions and pillows. Sitting on a large red pillow propped against a wall sat Tsume with her companion Kuromaru, a large wolfish looking dog with dark grey fur, a few noticeable scars including his left ear completely missing, and an eye patch over his right eye. However, despite such a dangerous appearance Tsume's partner was simply enjoying a nice petting and soaking up the warmth of the room as if he were just a small pup once again.

Across from her mother lying on a set of green cushions was Inuzuka Hana with her nin-ken, The Triplets. All three dogs seemed completely identical with matching light brown fu and tan colored underbellies. Resting their heads on Hana's legs they were enjoying similar affection that Kuromaru was receiving.

The final member of the close family lay in the center of the room with small, white ball of fur resting on his chest. Kiba happily laid there as the reassuring weight of Akamaru was a major comfort considering that all Inuzuka formed strong bonds with their canine partners. Even though Kiba and Akamaru had only been together for the last year and a half both had already grown close and to find one without the other could cause some worry. Though both had tried to hide it the day apart from one another had been more difficult then any non-Inuzuka could imagine. Reaching up to scratch behind the small pup's ears Kiba felt his heart soar as Akamaru nuzzled into his chest to take in his reassuring scent.

"Akamaru's check up and vaccinations went perfectly Kiba," Hana reassured her little brother as she rubbed the belly of one of her dogs. "He should be more than able to join you tomorrow at the Academy."

"Unh," grunted the young male Inuzuka as the small, white puppy on his chest licked at his face.

"If you're lucky maybe you'll get to finally face the Uchiha as well," Kiba's sister teased lightly knowing that her young brother wanted to desperately prove himself against the boy who was considered by many to be the most promising ninja of his generation.

Not even sparing a glance at Hana another grunt came from the younger Inuzuka as he closed his eyes and rested a hand on Akamaru's back. The move was one of affection and comfort for the pair as it symbolized their need to remain close least their bond cause them emotional turmoil.

Hearing her brother grunt in response to both of statements Hana became slightly worried as Kiba was never this quiet unless something big was happening. While it could be reasoned that he had simply begun forging a deeper bond with Akamaru as nearly all of the Inuzuka did with their own partners Hana could tell the tension in the messy brown haired boy was based upon something far different.

"Does any of this stem from young Sasuke getting beat in a spar today," Tsume asked her youngest child as her maternal perceptions began putting together a picture just from the rumors she had heard and clues she had picked up from her son.

"No way, someone actually beat him?!" Hana interrupted before Kiba could answer. "Who was it? Did you get a piece of the action Kiba?"

Sitting up slightly and placing Akamaru in his lap Kiba simply responded, "Iie."

"Eh?" came the confused response of Hana as she stopped lavishing attention on The Triplets, who immediately seemed disappointed that they were no longer the focus of her attention.

"Sasuke was beaten by Uzumaki Naruto," Tsume answered slowly for her son. "In a pure Taijutsu battle the Uchiha should have dominated as this was only Uzumaki's second day at the Academy."

"Only the second day and the kid's already causing waves," whistled the teenage female Inuzuka. "If he's not careful someone will knock him down, maybe you could be that one Kiba."

Turning a hard gaze on his sister Kiba answered firmly, "Iie."

Hearing the short response from Kiba caused both Inuzuka females to worry, but for differing reasons.

Tsume had mixed feelings about the young demon vessel. When the Kyuubi had struck the village she had only begun to get back into shape as a kunoichi of the Inuzuka and of Konoha as she had given birth to Kiba back in the beginning of July and had spent nearly all of her time caring for her new baby and a rambunctious six year old Hana. The night that the Kyuubi had attacked Tsume and her children had taken refuge with many of the others who were unable to fight. While she, Kiba, and Hana had been safe her husband, the head of the Inuzuka had gone out with many of the other defenders of Konoha to attempt to defeat the great beast. Unfortunately for the young family he had been one of the many casualties tallied that night and the loss had cut deeply into both Tsume and Hana. Though part of her could understand and respect the Yondaime's wish to see Naruto as a hero for containing the demon another part of her was torn due to the loss of her love which she would never be fully over. Hearing her son despondence over the win by the young blond caused her to grow concerned for his safety around what could very well be a walking bomb.

Hana was worried for a far different reason than her mother. While she too carried the pain of loss that had come from her father's death she had been young enough to not learn about the truth behind the Kyuubi's defeat. Unaware that Uzumaki carried the beast within himself she was more concerned that Kiba was letting the idea of two of his peers being superior get to him.

Deciding to cheer Kiba up, Hana smiled and exclaimed, "Oh buck up runt, I'm sure that you can beat Uzumaki and the Uchiha if you…."

"I said I can't!" Kiba suddenly exclaimed loudly causing all of the dogs in the room to immediately become alert and defensive as low growls began to rumble from their throats at being disturbed.

Moving a hand to quiet Kuromaru down knowing the others would follow his lead as he was considered the alpha of the Inuzuka's packs, Tsume asked quietly, "I've never known you to give up without a fight Kiba, so why would you be so sure about such a thing?"

While no one would ever claim that Inuzuka Tsume was a model of feminine grace and talents, something that her daughter Hana was emulating if one was to witness her sowing abilities, like all mothers she cared greatly about the health and well being of her children. To hear her son suddenly doubt himself and his skills so greatly was disturbing. Putting aside the part of her that was the strong jounin of Konoha and the part that made her the matriarch of Clan Inuzuka, Tsume showed that before anything else she was a mother first.

Seeing the soft, comforting look of his mother Kiba hesitantly explained, "It's just that…well when I was watching Naruto beat Sasuke it seemed that something was drastically wrong about the whole situation."

"Of course it felt wrong, it's not everyday the Uchiha gets knocked down," Han attempted to inject but was silenced by a look form her mother.

"It's not just that," the feral looking boy attempted to continue. "When I was leaving the Academy with the group and Naruto got confronted by Sasuke again. Naruto got the wind knocked out of him by Sasuke because he was attempting to be friendly, but even after the Uchiha left Naruto seemed unaffected by the entire situation."

Sitting back on her pillow Tsume considered her son's words before asking, "Tell me what you sensed the entire time you watched Uzumaki."

"Well when I first met him he seemed like any other kid who is new and unfamiliar with everything at the academy," Kiba began. "But when he fought Sasuke in the spar he seemed different. It was like watching one of the older dogs play-wrestle with a pup, but instead of being aware that it's play the pup acts like it's a real fight."

"So you think the boy was just handling the Uchiha instead of treating it as a real fight?" the elder Inuzuka asked in a calm tone.

"Yeah," Kiba affirmed as he rubbed the ears of Akamaru as the small pup looked up at him happily. "But it didn't stop at the spar, when Sasuke confronted Naruto after class was over Naruto seemed to be still acting like nothing was the matter. It was as if Naruto knew he was in no real danger and was just trying to sooth Sasuke's ego."

Going silent as Kiba finished Tsume contemplated what the situation could possibly mean before inquiring, "Is the Uzumaki aware that you noticed any of this?"

Giving a quick shake of his head Kiba answered, "I don't think so, heck even I wasn't sure about any of it until I started thinking about it over dinner."

"Hmm," the Inuzuka matriarch hummed as she rubbed the back of Kuromaru. "Is there anything else that struck you as odd or is that it?"

Rolling his eyes up to look at the ceiling while rubbing a finger at his jaw, Kiba seemed to think for a moment before saying, "No everything else seemed fine. I know he traveled around the continent a lot with his hijiji, but that's it."

"His hijiji?" Tsume asked quietly.

Shrugging his shoulders slightly the feral looking boy replied, "Yeah, Naruto mentioned him a few times, but was kind of quiet about him. I guess it has to do with the old man passing away just before Naruto came back to Konoha."

Quietly thinking for a few moments Tsume seemed to stare off at some distant objective that only she could see. Catching a one eyed look form Kuromaru she seemed to decide what she wanted to say.

"Well it would appear that Uzumaki is just hiding some of his strength. It could be he's worried about showing off at the moment as I know he received some form of training while he was away from Konoha due to the report the Sandaime filed at the council meeting to allow the boy's entrance into the Academy," she reasoned aloud. "It seems the best course of action then is for you to get stronger."

Noticing a sly grin forming on her face and a lupine smirk on Kuromaru's muzzle Kiba blinked in confusion before uttering, "Ara?"

"It's about time you and Akamaru started to learn some of the clan's techniques and advanced beyond that crap they're teaching you at the Academy," Tsume said strongly while eyeing her son and noting his spirits rising with the idea of actual training. "Hana and I, as well as the rest of the clan, are going to work you into the ground so you're ready when the time comes for you to show off the abilities of the Inuzuka."

"But I've got other work to do," Hana attempted to protest before falling silent once again under the gaze of her mother and deciding that maybe it was best she help the runt out a bit on this.

Giving a small whoop of joy Kiba picked up a happily yapping Akamaru and swung the pup around in his arms as the two celebrated the idea of finally advancing to clan techniques training.

Watching her son glow with joy and get teased slightly by Hana, Tsume quietly contemplated all that she had learned form Kiba about Uzumaki Naruto. Storing away several pieces of information she made mental notes to discuss them with a few of the political allies of the Inuzuka and see what could be made out of it all.

* * *

Hyuuga Hiashi was not a man to be kept waiting. The current head of Clan Hyuuga always appeared to be the exact definition of what one meant when describing the pale eyed clan as shinobi proud of their strength and place as the strongest of Konoha. The fact that such a title rested upon their shoulders for the reason of their vast size and skill was compounded with the fact that the few clans, such as the Uchiha and the Shugorei, who could have also claimed the title were now mere shadows of their former glory due to certain events in Konoha's past. As the lord of the Hyuuga it could be said that Hiashi exemplified all of their finest points as the man was one of the strongest elite jounin in the village, however, such strength did not seem to translate very well into the role he played as a father as evidenced by the way his two daughters viewed him, one with fear and the other with no emotion what so ever.

Hyuuga Hinata, eldest daughter of Hiashi and the supposed heiress to Clan Hyuuga, was absolutely terrified as she waited outside of her father's office. She had returned from the Academy to quickly finish her homework and then devote the rest of her time in the dojo reserved exclusively for those of the main family of the clan. Only breaking for a short supper the girl had worked herself almost to the point of exhaustion just as she did most nights, though to the 'all-seeing-eyes' of the Hyuuga members who had observed her a sense that she was far more determined than usual had arisen.

While she had been training in the family Taijutsu style Hinata had clearly noted that her younger sister Hanabi was going through many of the same motions and katas. Hanabi was quickly displaying the raw talent that Hinata, her senior by nearly five years lacked, and such skill was becoming the talk of the clan.

As she waited for her father to allow her to enter the office Hinata reflected on how Hanabi was developing. While she did feel a tinge of jealousy the elder sister felt it overpowered by a combination of pride and fear. Pride because she was happy that her little sister was growing so strong and wouldn't have to face the harsh stares that came with being seen as a failure. While Hinata often tried not to wallow in self-pity the fact that she knew what those stares and whispers were like did grant her a far different perspective on the workings of the Hyuuga than many others had.

Though she was happy to see Hanabi growing strong the fear that came alongside that pride was far more overpowering. The fear was such because it came from no single source. Part of it was because many of the whispers that often called her a failure now seemed to wondering if Hanabi would make a better heiress. Hinata had seen what happened to those who were placed in the branch family of the Hyuuga and the phantom ache of a nonexistent seal upon her forehead reinforced her fear. However, despite worrying for herself the majority of Hinata's fear came from the way Hanabi interacted with others.

The youngest daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi had been becoming more and more unemotional as the years advanced. Hanabi had always been a quiet and obedient child as was prescribed by Hyuuga tradition, but Hinata could count on one hand the number of times she had seen the younger girl smile or laugh in the last year. While she feared her father a tiny part of Hinata was learning to hate the man and the traditions that he seemed to be pressing upon her and Hanabi.

"_Why can't we just be a family like when Okaasan was alive?"_ the pale eyed girl wondered sullenly. _"I want to be able to laugh and play in the gardens again, I want Hanabi to have friends outside of the tutors and instructors she spends her days with, but more importantly I want Otousama to smile at me again."_

Shortly after Hanabi's birth Hyuuga Hikari, mother to both Hinata and Hanabi, had fallen gravely ill and had struggled for several months before passing away. At the time Hinata had not understood the talk about how the birth had been hard on her mother's already fragile health, but what she had understood was one day her father had simply stopped smiling and no longer wished to play with his young daughter. On that day Hinata had found him replaced with a man bearing a perpetual frown and interested solely in training.

Fighting down tears that she had cried too many times before Hinata heard the sharp bark of her father and looked herself over to make sure she was presentable before entering his office.

Sliding the door closed before bowing low to her father Hinata attempted to muster up what little courage she had. Hearing no reprimands the meek girl moved to take the seat across from the large, hardwood desk that Hiashi worked tirelessly behind when he wasn't training, conducting Hyuuga affairs, or attending Village Council meetings.

Though he spent much time within the moderately sized room Hiashi had few decorations adorning it. The few that existed were mainly trophies taken in battle from his younger days of working in the field for Konoha as a true shinobi. A few unidentifiable pieces of armor, an unknown forehead protector from some village that no longer existed, and a strange kunai with three points coming from its handle which had a strange seal carved into it were the most prominent pieces and sat on a table behind the Hyuuga Head. While she had never been told what each represented Hinata knew that each was very precious to her father, but even more important than those small mementos was a set of framed photographs that were hidden in his desk.

When Hinata had been much younger and had not yet begun to fear her father or his displeasure she had once snuck into the office and discovered the photos. One she had recognized as being of her father and her mother when the two had been married. Another had been of a very young Hiashi, with closely cropped hair, standing with a black haired girl, a blond haired boy, and a young man with spiky white hair and red lines extending from the corners of his eyes. That particular photo had been very interesting to the young girl, but the third had proved even more so. That photo had been of an adult Hiashi, now with more familiar long hair, standing with the same people; the black haired girl having grown here hair longer and developed the curves of a woman, the blond male having what appeared to be a white sleeveless cloak on with a large toothy grin on his face as he hung an arm over her father's shoulders, and the spikey white haired man now having far longer hair and a few lines to his face. A few more photos had been present but Hinata had not dared to investigate further as the sound of servants in the hallway had made her realize what trouble she could get into should her father find her snooping around without his permission.

"_I know I have seen those people somewhere else, but who are they?"_ Hinata silently wondered before her focus returned to her father, who finally seemed to have noted her sitting before him.

"I have been informed that you won a sparring match today at the Academy," came the firm voice of Hyuuga Hiashi as the man did not even bother to lift his gaze from the papers in his hands. "Though it was against a clanless kunoichi in training it is good to see that you are finally developing the strength that we Hyuuga are known for."

Though it had been in a roundabout manner the small compliment made Hinata dismiss part of the worry that had entered into her heart when she had been told of her father's summons.

"I have also been informed that you continue to be involved with a group of students that exhibit less than reputable traits," the Hyuuga Head added with his voice taking on a hint of an edge. "While the Aburame boy is acceptable in nearly every area the others are only passable for the sole reason that they come from the other clans that inhabit Konoha alongside us."

Cringing slightly Hinata listened as the pale eyed man began to describe her friends.

"First there is the Inuzuka," Hiashi said sternly to indicate Kiba. "He, like his clan, is little better than the dogs they keep. A lot of smelly and mangy barbarians, while we tolerate them as they are allies in defending Konoha they can hardly be considered proper company for an heiress to keep."

Feeling her meekness growing Hinata continued to listen as her father moved on.

"Then there's the Nara boy and his Akimichi friend," the Head of the clan continued as he looked over a scroll he plucked off his desk. "I don't know which is worse, the fact that one represents a clan of lazy deer herders or the other who is a perfect example of the gluttonous sloth that is his clan. Along with the Inuzuka they are known to dishonor themselves and their families by skipping classes and pulling juvenile stunts. The fact that you have not joined them in such actions at least gives me some comfort."

Placing his name and the Hyuuga seal upon a document Hiashi was unrelenting as he moved onto another of Hinata's friends, "The Yamanaka girl would be acceptable if not for her spoiled nature and her infatuation with the Uchiha heir. Everyday I am thankful that I have not received a report detailing that you have joined the group of young girls that follow him about like beggars. Should I ever hear such a thing your punishment will be swift, am I understood?"

Knowing that her father was now looking straight at her Hinata could not bring her eyes to meet his as she stuttered out, "H-hai Otousama, I wouldn't…I'd never…."

"Good," Hiashi stated firmly as he moved his gaze back to the paperwork on his desk. "The Uchiha have always been inferior to us and your ancestors would weep if it were to be discovered that any Hyuuga desired an Uchiha."

Though she knew that the Uchiha had at one point been part of the Hyuuga and their Sharingan was a mutation of the Byakugan, Hinata did not dare point such a thing out. While she never liked to hear others badmouthed she would be the first to admit that she found nearly everything about Uchiha Sasuke to be wrong. As such she would never understand why girls like Ino and Sakura, who appeared so smart, funny, and beautiful, found the raven haired boy so attractive. To be completely honest the shy girl had rarely ever even considered the possibility of finding someone who she could fall in love with, at least not since the whispered conversations amidst giggles that she had once held with her mother.

"It is a tragedy that the only Shugorei who still lives is far too old for you," Hiashi said calmly stopping any thoughts Hinata could have about a potential boyfriend. "They at least were a clan that the Hyuuga could proudly call its peer. If only…."

Hinata was taken by surprise as she thought she detected a note of actual sadness enter into her father's voice. It was possibly the only time she would ever have claimed to notice such a thing since her mother's passing. However, it was gone so quickly that many would've ever wondered if it truly existed at all.

"There is one other matter that I wish to speak to you about," Hiashi said firmly as his face hardened into its normal frown. "You will be completely honest with me Hinata."

"H-hai Otousama," stuttered Hinata nervously as her mind tried to figure out what her father could want.

"A boy by the name of Uzumaki Naruto just joined your class and I have heard he defeated the Uchiha in a Taijutsu match earlier today," Hiashi began as he focused completely on his eldest daughter. "Is this true?"

Though she was worried for her new friend, Hinata quietly replied, "H-hai."

"Listen carefully Hinata," Hiashi said as he rose up from behind his desk and moved to look at a piece of partially burned cloth that was hung on the wall before turning to regard her. "One day it may fall to you to lead the Hyuuga, as such many people will attempt to influence you and gain your favor. However, if you are to one day lead you must always put the well being of the Hyuuga and Konoha before the personal sentiments and desires of others."

As Hinata gave a silent nod Hiashi continued, "When the Uchiha was defeated did you notice anything abnormal about young Uzumaki?"

Confused at her father's request Hinata stuttered out, "Ano…wh-what do you mean?"

"I mean just what I said," Hiashi said while looking down at his daughter. "Was there anything odd when Uzumaki beat the Uchiha?"

"Iie," Hinata stated quickly before here nervousness could embarrass her in front of her father.

Staring at the young girl who refused to meet his gaze Hiashi said in a hard tone, "There is something you aren't telling me. What is it?"

Shrinking slightly in her seat and wishing she could just disappear, Hinata brought her hands up from where she had been keeping them in her lap to wrap around her arms as if to ward off a cold that only she could feel.

Feeling her father's gaze boring into her Hinata knew she couldn't hope to hide anything from him and stuttered out quietly, "He, he…he's my…frie-friend Otousama."

As tears started to well up in her eyes as fear swept over her at the thought that Hiashi would berate her for making friends with Naruto, Hinata began to shake slightly.

Moving to look at the odd, three tipped kunai that sat in a glass case the Hyuuga Head replied in a strong voice, "Seeing as Uzumaki has not yet done anything to disgrace himself I will give him the benefit of the doubt, but if I should choose you will end your friendship with him. Am I understood?"

Hearing her father's tone Hinata knew that there would be no chance of arguing the point, not that she would, but for some unknown reason a spark of courage caused the normally timid girl to ask, "W-why? Is…is something…I mean is Naruto-kun…?"

Though Hinata could not see it, Hiashi noted the fact that she had questioned him instead of immediately agreeing and for a moment his lip twitched slightly as the frown faltered for but a moment.

Clasping his hands behind his back and continuing to look at the unique weapon Hiashi answered, "The answers are not for you to know right now. It is something you will understand one day hopefully."

Blinking in confusion at the answer and at her own sudden burst of courage Hinata replied simply, "H-hai Otousama."

Moving to sit behind his desk once again Hiashi focused back on the papers waiting for him before saying, "That will be all then daughter."

Moving from her chair to the door Hinata gave a deep bow before exiting the office and her father's presence. As she closed the door and wondered at why her father would be concerned with Naruto the young short haired girl heard the scrap of wood that she knew came from her father's desk drawers. Moving down the hallway to prepare for sleep Hinata couldn't help but wonder not only about Naruto, but also if her father was examining his hidden photos.

"_What do they mean Otousama and why do you hide them if you value them so?_" the pale eyed girl silently contemplated as she passed by a pair of servants cleaning the corridor that lead to her room as she retired for the evening.

* * *

Standing before his bathroom mirror in his apartment Uchiha Sasuke regarded the lump of gauze and bandages that was centered upon his face.

"_Damn that loser,"_ the raven haired boy cursed as he touched the lump that covered his nose. _"Next time I'll drive him into the ground instead of knocking the wind out of him."_

Moving from the bathroom and flicking off the light Sasuke slumped backwards onto his bed in the dark room.

"_I can't believe I actually lost to him,"_ the lone Uchiha silently berated himself. _"I shouldn't have let him get to me, but his remarks about…."_

Memories of a night long ago when he had just entered into the Academy rushed to his mind. Though he knew he was alone in his apartment Sasuke could still feel the apathetic gaze of a fully matured set of Sharingan bearing down upon him.

Shuddering as he tried to pull the thick blanket on the bed around him for comfort the lone Uchiha frantically pleaded in silence, _"No, please Niisan…don't, please! I don't want to die…I don't want to die…want to die…to die…!"_

Nearly hyperventilating in a show of weakness that would shatter the notions that many in Konoha held about the Uchiha heir, Sasuke clawed at his nightstand for a bottle of pills that would counter his panic attacks and nightmares. Finding the bottle and wrenching off the top the raven haired boy gulped down several to calm himself despite the warning he had received to never take more than two every eight hours.

Feeling the calming effects kick in quickly Sasuke used his blanket to wipe away the small tears that had rolled down his face during his moment of weakness and despair.

"_I'm so sorry," _the boy thought miserably as he curled into a ball under his blankets._"I'm so sorry Okaasan, Otousan. If only…if only I had been strong…."_

"_I promise. I promise I'll avenge you and rebuild the clan," _Sasuke internally pledged as faces of those long since dead flashed through his mind.

Rolling over onto his back as his limbs became tangled in the sheets Sasuke suddenly had an old memory pop into his mind as he looked to the bland ceiling over his bed.

The memory was of the first day he had gone to the Konoha Ninja Academy. He clearly remembered his father walking with him to the building and meeting with the rather plump chunin instructor that was in charge of the institute at the time. Memories of the conversation the man had with his father came flooding back and his anger began to rise as his elder brother had been the subject of the discussion. However, one memory overpowered the hate that was filling him and focused the young avenger onto a different train of thought.

"_Don't grow up to be like Itachi,"_ Sasuke clearly remembered his father saying after they had finished practicing Sasuke's first fire jutsu at the pond. _"Be strong and master yourself so that you may defeat any challenges you encounter in life."_

As that thought hit his mind Sasuke reflected upon how Uzumaki Naruto had tried to reconcile after class had let out.

"_Like I could just let him get away with it after everyone started talking,"_ Sasuke angrily thought about the gossip that had followed his loss._"At least he didn't cower or try to run away."_

Staring up at the ceiling the so called genius of the Academy felt a nagging sensation tug at his mind. While he was still angry at having lost part of him seemed happy that there was now someone in the class to give him a challenge.

"_I never thought Uzumaki would be able to not only counter me, but actually break my guard," _Sasuke thought as he mentally analyzed the spar. _"I've never seen such a Taijutsu style before. He caught completely me off guard with that headbutt. Wonder if he could stand up to me in a full combat spar?"_

Feeling his eyelids growing heavy Sasuke began to let the night take hold of him before he heard the voice of his mother break into his mind with,_"Sleep well Sasuke-kun, tomorrow's your big day at the Academy. Promise me you'll do your best and make plenty of friends."_

Letting his eyes close as a side effect of taking too many pills kicked in Sasuke reflected upon the memory of a much younger version of himself looking up at his mother's smile and sleepily mumbling a promise that he would do so.

"I've done my best Kaasan,"the raven haired boy murmured as sleep began to overtake him. "I don't know about…friends, but…I think…I have a rival…."

Trailing off as he started to drift to sleep Sasuke couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought that things might be more interesting now that there was someone who he could test his strength against before going after his main goal.

* * *

The dark of night had fallen fully upon Konoha and the village had quieted down. The few people still moving about under the pale light of the crescent moon that hung overhead were mainly those who had gone beyond the normal enjoyments that the Konoha evening offered. A few drunken individuals stumbled their way home after enjoying a night on the town. The small group was being carefully watched by an ANBU night patrol to make sure the mixed group of civilian and shinobi alike did not cause any trouble as they split up to go their separate ways.

Ever since the Uchiha massacre a few years prior the Konoha ANBU had been forced to pick up the slack leftover from the almost complete loss of the Konoha Military Police. The bulk of the force had been from the Uchiha and with the clan's destruction the service had been almost completely gutted. With the approval of the council the Hokage had combined the few remaining members of the police into the ANBU divisions. To make up for the loss a plan had been put in place to use ANBU from each division to continue the maintenance of law and order. The plan had worked well as the many ANBU had found the work to be a nice break from their normal duties. Added to that was the benefit that fewer ANBU were being wasted by waiting for high class black ops missions to come in. Since the ANBU had always assisted in guarding the gates of Konoha and helping the Konoha Military Police, letting the bored members do something productive other than guard duty by fully taking over the vacant role had boosted morale and drastically lowered crime rates, not that they had been very high to begin with.

As the small ANBU patrol maneuvered to keep watch and make sure no one was doing something they weren't supposed to they had little idea that they themselves were under surveillance.

Sitting on top of the Hokage monument Uzumaki Naruto stared out onto the village of Konoha. The young blond had retreated to the mountain after he had left the Hokage Tower and had spent almost the entire evening so far deep in thought.

Part of the whiskered boy's thoughts focused on the criticism he had received about not understanding what was important, about what it truly meant to live. The vaunted 'Will of Fire' that the Sandaime had referred to was known to Naruto. However, for the most part Naruto saw the term as just a way to inspire confidence and a sense of unique superiority in the Konoha shinobi. The idea that it could be anything more made the boy scoff.

"_What a load of shit," _Naruto thought dourly. _"My strength comes from me and the traditions of my clan."_

While Naruto had been taught that teamwork and alliances were beneficial he had also been taught that when push came to shove one could only rely on one's self. If a person wasn't strong on there own they couldn't hope to stand when the point came where they were separated from their team or allies.

"_But why do I keep thinking about helping Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Sakura, Chouji, Ino, and Hinata? Even that prick Sasuke,"_ contemplated Naruto quietly. _"They're just means to an end, aren't they?"_

Such thoughts had been plaguing the young Shugorei every time he tried to reason away the criticisms that had been aimed at him by the Hokage. No matter how Naruto tried to justify himself feelings of guilt began to build up as the faces of his new acquaintances came to his mind. The whole thing was causing Naruto to want to just scream in frustration.

Adding to the difficulty Naruto found himself beginning to focus on what the Sandaime had said about the Yondaime, Naruto's father.

"_Why did he have to bring such a thing up? He knows what I think about him,"_ reflected Naruto as his gaze shifted over to glance at the top of the carved stone head that represented Namikaze Minato. _"Why can't he just leave it alone?"_

Feeling anger well up inside Naruto tossed a small rock over at the Yondaime's head, but as he watched the rock bounce and roll to a stop that anger seemed to seep away as despair took its place.

Pulling his knees up to his chest and staring back out over Konoha, the whiskered blond wondered what his hijiji would say about everything,_"I wish Jinjiro-hijiji was still here…he'd know what to do."_

"_**But he's not and even if he was the decision is yours alone to make,"**_ the unknown voice spoke as it suddenly entered Naruto's thoughts.

Sighing as the words finished Naruto silently spoke, "Go away, I'm not in the mood for your crap right now."

"_**Maybe, but I can help you if you so desire,"**_ the low toned voice replied.

"You haven't been helpful before so why should I believe you?" asked the blond as he gazed out onto Konoha.

"_**A man is wise when he remains on guard during times of turmoil,"**_ the enigmatic voice began. _**"However, a man is foolish when he turns away the helping hand of those who care for him."**_

Blinking slightly in confusion Naruto asked quietly, "What?"

"_**Philosophy really ain't your strong point is it kid,"**_ the voice asked rhetorically.

"I don't need this right now," Naruto grumbled in frustration.

"_**No, you don't want it right now,"**_ corrected the voice sagely. _**"What you want and what you need are two very different things."**_

"What I need is to be left alone to my thoughts," the young Shugorei whispered heatedly before hearing laughter resound throughout his head.

"_**That was a good one kid. You don't by chance do knock-knock jokes too do you?"**_ came the sarcastic reply from the unknown voice as its laughter slowly abated.

His right eye twitching sporadically in annoyance Naruto loudly fired back, "Shut the hell up you fucking bastard!"

A pause seemed to hang in the air as Naruto listened for any reply only to hear the sound of the light breeze whistling through the nearby forest. Sighing at seeming to have finally gotten rid of the pest Naruto found himself completely pissed when it began to speak once again.

"_**You know kid screaming out loud like that isn't too smart, someone could hear you and think you're crazy,"**_ calmly responded the voice in its low tones as any hint of sarcasm or humor seemed to have disappeared. _**"Such a thing would be difficult to explain and I really don't want to spend time in the nut house with you. Well maybe if we could be guaranteed some pretty little nurses."**_

"Great, I've got a stupid pervert talking in my head now," Naruto grumbled as he let his head slump against his knees.

"_**That's right kid I'm in your head,"**_ the voice seemed to respond almost with a gleeful tone. _**"With the way you were going I thought you wouldn't notice until a full year went by, I mean it took you almost a full year just to hear me finally."**_

Hearing those words Naruto's head shot up from its resting spot on his knees as he quickly said, "Wait a minute, you're in my head and you've been trying to talk to me before I actually heard you?"

"_**Aww damn,"**_ the voice suddenly said almost dejectedly. _**"It seems I celebrated too soon. You were just using a figure of speech. Damn it and here I was hoping things were finally getting better!"**_

Unbeknownst to the voice, who was nearly wailing about the travails of its existence and the denseness of Naruto, said blond Shugorei was starting to feel the small puzzle pieces that littered his mind come together.

"_In my head, trying to talk to me for almost a year before I could hear it, always seems to know what I'm thinking," _thought the whiskered boy as he began to put things in perspective just as an epiphany seemed to hit him. _"Wait a minute…it couldn't be, could it? Of course, how could I have missed it?!"_

Speaking up and cutting through the recitation of despair and cursing that the voice seemed to have entered, Naruto asked hesitantly, "You're not my Zanpakuto by any chance, are you?"

As the cursing and whining seemed to stop the voice spoke up,_** "Wait, what did you just say?"**_

Smiling slightly as he was almost sure now Naruto jumped to his feet and quickly said, "You're my Zanpakuto's soul."

"_**Bingo, bingo, bingo kid," **_cheered the now identified voice as Naruto seemed to jump up in down in excitement at the confirmation. _**"You really had me going there for a moment, thought you had missed out on all of the clues and would never figure it out."**_

Though the Zanpakuto soul seemed happy that it had at least been finally identified, as its gruff voice had a mixture of mirth and pride in it, Naruto had really not been paying much attention as the young Shugorei was far to busy jumping around the heads of the Hokage's and letting out whoops of joy.

"_**Hey kid…Yo! I'm talking to you kid! "**_ the Zanpakuto tried to yell to get the excited boy's attention and failing miserably.

"_**Shut the fuck up and sit the fuck down!"**_ the inner soul suddenly barked loudly as Naruto dropped on his ass in response. _**"Fuck kid, I almost want to say I liked it better when you had no idea who I was if you're going to continue acting like a fucking spaz."**_

"Um…sorry," Naruto spoke quietly as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand in embarrassment.

"_**Just don't do it again,"**_ the Zanpakuto stated firmly in its low toned voice. _**"Oh, and by the way you can just think stuff towards me and I'll hear it. As I said before you keep it up with the whole talking to yourself and people will think you're crazy."**_

"_Sorry,"_the young blond thought quietly in embarrassment.

"_**Anyways I guess introductions are in order,"**_ the voice of the Zanpakuto began in a calm tone. _**"I'm &$#."**_

"_Huh?"_responded a confused Naruto as the last part of the introduction had been lost to him. _"You're who?"_

"_**Hmm, seems that even though you can hear me and now know what I am you still can't hear my name,"**_ the Zanpakuto stated neutrally in its gruff voice. _**"Oh well, guess I shouldn't be expecting miracles from you or anything."**_

"_Hey!"_Naruto interjected indignantly.

"_**Well if I use how long it took you to actually hear me and then figure out who I am as a measuring stick…,"**_ the soul of Naruto's Zanpakuto contemplated slowly ignoring the boy's annoyance. _**"Hmm, seems like you won't hear my name for at least another year or two."**_

His eyes going wide at that statement the young Shugorei quickly thought,_"What? That long, but…aww come on that's not fair!"_

"_**Whoever said life was fair?"**_ the Zanpakuto fired back sarcastically. _**"You want to bitch about fair, I get to be the Zanpakuto of someone like you."**_

"_And what's so wrong with that?"_ mentally inquired the blond in annoyance.

"_**You're the one who said earlier he doesn't need anybody and can rely on clan tradition and his own strength, so you figure it out,"**_ Naruto's Zanpakuto stated solemnly as its voice started to fade away slowly.

"_What?"_began Naruto in confusion before realizing that the voice was beginning to disappear from his mind.

"_Wait!"_the whiskered Shugorei pleaded mentally. _"At least tell me how I can form you."_

Hearing no response to his remarks a frustrated Naruto simply whispered, "Damn."

Seated on the ground with his legs crossed Naruto began to go over his conversation with his now identified Zanpakuto.

"_It mentioned clan tradition and strength,"_ the Shugorei heir thought slowly as he mulled the situation over._"Hmm…maybe if I check the archives I can figure out not only the meaning, but also how to…."_

Before he could continue with such thoughts Naruto leapt to his feet and turned to face the wooded area behind him asking in a loud voice, "Are you simply out for a midnight stroll or are you spying on me Danzou!"

Moving out from amidst the shadows of the trees and brush the scarred man shuffled forward to come within a few feet of the young blond Shugorei.

"I can't help, but always find myself fascinated by you Naruto-kun," the Elder began to say. "Every time I think I have you figured out you end up surprising me in the most interesting ways."

"I'm not in the mood for games so say what you will and be gone," growled out a tense Naruto.

Letting a low chuckle roll forth Danzou responded, "Straight to business are we, is it because of the argument you had with Sarutobi earlier this evening?"

Shooting a glare at the former 'Ne' leader, Naruto replied slowly in a tense voice, "He's not happy with the proposal to recreate a 'Ne' program is all."

"Oh?" Danzou inquired as he moved forward to stand next to the young boy while still looking out onto Konoha. "I was under the impression that was only part of the difficulty between the two of you. Now what was the other part…something about your father perhaps?"

"I've heard enough about him from Hokage-jiji, I don't need it from you as well," Naruto angrily retorted as he turned to regard the man next to him.

Keeping his eye on Konoha Danzou answered, "I have no intention of lecturing you Naruto-kun your father is your own business. However, I do wish to make certain that 'old monkey' didn't attempt to dissuade you from assisting me by antagonizing you with such information."

Sneering lightly at the tall form of the Elder, Naruto spoke in a hard tone, "He would have been better off to not have brought the subject up if that was his intention."

"Then I can count on your support?" Danzou inquired dispassionately.

"The proposal will pass," confirmed the disguised Shugorei. "However, certain measures will need to be taken to ensure that we attain a sweeping majority so the Hokage can't threaten a veto."

"And how do you know I don't already have the support needed to do so without you?" the Elder asked with a hint of humor to his voice.

Smirking while narrowing his eyes the Shugorei heir retorted, "You indicated it yourself when you approached just now and said how you wanted to make sure I hadn't been dissuaded from supporting this little venture."

"I may be young but I'm far from stupid," continued the whiskered blond. "You and I both know that the orphanage funding will pass regardless of any meddling and because of that I could take my support and all of those who place stock in Shugorei endorsements away from the proposal. Without me and the ensuing power bloc you could still pass the proposal, but you would be hard pressed to override the veto of the Hokage unless you traded in all of your political favors.

Giving a short laugh the blond boy finished, "Face it, you need me far more than I need you right now. However, I'm willing to work with you as it will afford me far greater benefits in the future by doing so."

Quirking his only eyebrow after hearing the reasoning of the young demon vessel, the scarred man asked calmly, "Do you have something in mind."

"Hai, but it comes with a price that you will need to pay," responded Naruto.

Seeing no protest was forthcoming the Shugorei posing as an Uzumaki continued, "If I'm going to be a part of this I want to be a full partner. I want access to everything you still have of the old 'Ne' program. If you do this I can guarantee the Sandaime will not be able to touch the new program at all."

"You ask for much, but offer only a promise. Do you think I am a fool?" Danzou retorted with a bit of steel to his voice.

"I think you're a dangerous man, I think you would kill your own family if it meant making Konoha into your vision of strength and prosperity," said a calm Naruto as he kept his gaze from wavering. "But besides that I know that while Jinjiro-hijiji pulled out of 'Ne' publicly he still gave you support from the shadows and helped to oversee the program. I merely desire to enter into a similar partnership."

"Explain how we can completely circumvent the Hokage and perhaps I will consider such a change," the scarred man said as he leaned on his cane.

"It is quite simple and if executed properly will not only bypass the veto, but also force the Hokage to at least publicly support the project," the young Shugorei heir spoke calmly while watching for signs from his companion. "The main problem with the program is that the Hokage can gather support against it based upon the history of the previous 'Ne' program. To eliminate that difficulty we simply need to eliminate you."

As the words escaped his mouth Naruto found two ANBU had joined him and Danzou. The first stood between the pair and had his hand on his ninjato in preparation to defend the man. The other stood at Naruto's back with his blade already out, ready to cut the blond in two if Danzou so ordered.

"I would advise you to choose your next words carefully or my men may slip," cautioned the still powerful 'Ne' leader.

"I meant no threat by my words, but in order to ensure full support you can't take an active or powerful part in the formation or implementation of the program," Naruto said without flinching as the masked operatives glared at him. "If the program appeared to be run by someone else and seemed beyond your control the Hokage could not cite the past to argue against its creation."

Standing still and wondering if Danzou would accept the idea or if he had overplayed his hand Naruto waited to see how things would turn out. His wait was short as after a few moments Danzou grunted and the two ANBU bodyguards returned to their hidden surveillance posts.

"I assume you already have a plan to make this work," the old man said quietly without once having taken his gaze off of the sleeping Konoha.

Giving a small nod in response Naruto spoke, "I do, already I have the groundwork being laid out. Hokage-jiji is fully expecting the main support to come from you and is already preparing, but when the council convenes to hear the complete plan he will find that his efforts will be worthless. However, I need the access that you grant to full partners to iron out a few details and make sure our windfall is as fruitful as possible."

The still powerful 'Ne' leader seemed to mull over Naruto's words for a few moments. The only sign that he outwardly showed of his internal deliberations was the way he shifted his weight and rested upon his cane.

"You are a very scary child Naruto-kun, Jinjiro would be proud of you," Danzou spoke neutrally as he turned to face the boy. "You will have your access and I will make you a shadow partner just as he was after he publicly left our cabal. I will even help you avoid the tediousness of the Academy as a bonus for coming up with such a cunning plan."

"_Oh he would indeed be proud of me, but not for the reasons you think,"_the whiskered blond reflected as he heard the words.

Bowing his head slightly to mark his approval and hide the ghost of a smile that formed on his face, Naruto responded, "Then let me tell you what else I have planned to make Konoha strong."

* * *

**AN:**_Well hello to all of you out there reading the story. Here's your new chapter and I hope you enjoy the developments I've thrown in it. A bit shorter than my other chapters, but it fulfills all that I had hoped to do. I'd say that I'm already hard at work on the next chapter, but I'm currently lazing about from spending Thanksgiving with my family. For all of you who celebrated the holiday I hope you had a good time and have much to be thankful for. Currently I'm very thankful for the positive responses I've gotten regarding this story, the fact that all of my professors are happy with my research papers and projects, and that all of my friends and family are safe and have been very supportive of my little fanfiction hobby. I hope you all are safe and happy wherever you are._

_**Tyrchon**_  
-,-


	9. Chapter 8: The Rock and The Hard Place

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 8 – The Rock and The Hard Place**_

* * *

Sex is one of the simplest yet most complex rituals found within nature. Many organisms go through elaborate displays and rituals to ensure the simple task of procreation. However, the strangest act of sex could be attributed to the mammals known as _Homo sapiens_ or humans.

Humans, unlike many of the other organisms that share this world, regard sex in a manner beyond that of simple procreation. Sex for humans can be initiated for the act of creating the next generation, but more often than not it is practiced for the pleasure that comes from the act. This would help to explain why humans create so many ways to enjoy the practice of sex. From toys to fetishes, from pornography to prostitution, humans seem to enjoy sex and anything associated with it more than any other creature. While some argue that the myriad demons that inhabit the world enjoy the aspects of sex far more no one has ever been able to confirm the claim and it is doubtful that any demon would ever allow a human to live after information confirming or denying the claim was revealed.

In the Elemental Countries the varying aspects of sex are treated in many different ways. In the Country of Earth sex is seen as a very private matter and the industries that revolve around it are kept very quiet under the strict scrutiny of the government. While brothels and burlesque can be found within the massive country these businesses are kept on very short leashes thus Earth has some of the largest black and gray markets regarding sex in the entire Elemental Countries.

The Country of Fire, in contrast to the almost prudish acting citizens of Earth Country, has one of the smallest underground sex industries amongst the other Elemental Countries. This is a result of the laws set down by a Fire Daimyo nearly two hundred years ago. This female Fire Lord decided to open her country up to the many different businesses that cater to the different sexual desires held by humans. Inviting these industries in, the Daimyo set up a system of oversight to make sure that customers could take pleasure in their time spent enjoying the sexual exploits in a safe and secure manner. The system of taxation that had also been setup alongside the oversight system was of even greater benefit as the Fire Daimyo soon found her country's treasury filling rapidly with new funds that allowed for the further development of infrastructure and economic progress.

Otafuku Gai or the Homely Woman Town, only twelve kilometers from Konohagakure, could be considered one of the greatest examples of the sexual boom towns that developed from the legalization of the sexual industries within the Country of Fire. The infamous Fun Fun Street in the town's Kanrakugai, pleasure quarter, attracts so many wealthy patrons and well to do customers that it provides such a profit that the taxes taken from it have helped to subsidize the public schooling system of the Land of Fire, a system considered to be the best of the five great nations.

Despite the open display and acceptance of sex by many of the citizens of Fire Country some citizens still hold ideas that such acts are private in nature and disagree openly with the policy that has been continued by every Fire Daimyo since the laws were originally implemented.

Ayeka, the current Steward of Clan Shugorei, was one such person and couldn't help but let her mouth display a large frown as she walked with her two ANBU bodyguards through the Kanrakugai of Otafuku Gai on this autumn night. Wearing a simple cut kimono of white, purple, and orange with her auburn hair held in its normal bun with a pair of dark wooden sticks the Shugorei Steward was internally disgusted as she saw men and women alike walking around in revealing outfits in the hopes of enticing a customer to sample the delicacies promised within the various establishments lining the street.

"_At least I don't have to worry about anyone trying to proposition me anymore,"_ thought the older woman with a small smirk on her face as she glanced towards the pair of ANBU that flanked her as she made her way to her destination.

The two ANBU lacked the midnight black cloaks that normally hid their bodies and helped them to appear as intimidating shadows. Wearing the normal grey armor and black bodysuits one could clearly see the muscle that rippled off the two making them even more menacing. The one on the right of Ayeka was a tall male with brown hair pulled back into a long ponytail with his face hidden behind a white and turquoise mask depicting a tanuki. On the left of the steward was shorter female ANBU, as the tight armor and bodysuit openly displayed her curves, with two short braids holding back her black hair and her face hidden behind a purple and white mask in the form of an owl. With their ninjato on their backs and the two idly fingering the kunai holsters strapped to their legs the pair made a display of strength and power that kept many away. That point had been reinforced when one young man had approached Ayeka earlier in their search.

The man, really only a boy just out of his teens, had most likely been the son of some wealthy merchant and had approached Ayeka with a small group of friends who already had their companions selected for the evening. The young man had made several rude comments about wanting a woman with experience that had tested the Shugorei Steward's patience as he had leered at her with lust filled eyes. Only her resolve about keeping a low profile and finding her quarry as quickly as possible had kept her from harming the fool. However, her ANBU escort had no such compulsions and when the young man had tried to grab Ayeka as the trio moved to pass the small group the boy had found himself on the receiving end of a hefty beating from the pair.

"_Served him right the little snot," _Ayeka internally remarked as she her experienced eye had noted that her protectors had broken the arms of the young man before tossing his unconscious form into a dirty alley as his friends stood terrified.

Since the display not a single person had dared to try and approach the trio much to the enjoyment of the Shugorei Steward.

Turning down a short, side street Ayeka found herself standing before the door of a rather old and dilapidated bar. From the outside the place seemed to be nothing more than a 'hole-in-the-wall', but to those who knew better the shady establishment was really the entrance to one of the more exclusive establishments in all of Otafuku Gai.

Sighing as she prepared herself to enter the establishment Ayeka could not help but wonder if she had wasted the money and favors used to gain the information that had lead her here. It was the first week of October and she had spent the last two weeks tracking down a singular individual in accordance to the wishes of her lord.

When the orders had arrived the steward had been astonished to discover the new task that had been put forward to her. On top of it the large sum of money that had been included to help her fulfill the task had been even more surprising. Shugorei Jinjiro was known for being quite frugal and to have put forward such a large amount for a singular task meant he expected certain results or a damn good excuse. Now standing before the entrance Ayeka concluded that despite her misgivings about the whole situation to not enter would be worse than entering and finding that she had been misled and would have to start over her search once again.

"Stay here, but be on guard," the auburn haired woman stated quietly to her bodyguards as she prepared to enter. "I will signal by the radio if anything develops."

Pushing past the large wood and iron door Ayeka noted that the pair of ANBU quickly leapt away to find spots to clandestinely observe from while awaiting her. Entering the establishment the brunette steward noted that the room she had stepped into appeared to be nothing more than a quiet bar. Slipping a small yet fat roll of bills into the hand of the large, bald bouncer who had moved to bar her entrance Ayeka smirked as the man quickly stepped back to allow her to continue. Moving to the unoccupied bar Ayeka stopped in front of the rather rotund bartender polishing a glass.

"What's cans I dos for you lady?" the balding man inquired with a small lisp and a quirked eyebrow.

Narrowing her eyes slightly to ignore the way the man was almost ogling her, Ayeka responded crisply, "I am looking for someone and I have reason to believe that this person is residing in your establishment."

"We alls looking fors somebody," the man replied lazily as he continued to polish the glass in his hands. "Perhaps you coulds be mores specific?"

Tamping down her feelings of frustration the Shugorei Steward coldly retorted, "Listen, I know for a fact that there is more to your little bar here then what is seen, so I would suggest to you that you not hinder me or else…."

"We's run a reputable business heres," the plump bartender responded harshly as he set the glass and his rag down. "You woulds do wells to be mores polite."

Sensing the large bouncer moving to her back Ayeka whipped out with her right elbow, smashing into the large man's face before reaching across the bar to grab the fat bartender by the throat.

"Listen friend," Ayeka began coldly while the bartender whimpered and the bouncer groaned on the floor. "You'll either let me go about my business here or you'll find that my two Konoha ANBU waiting outside will enjoy tearing this place apart before throwing you into a nice dark cell where you can be your own best friend for the rest of your life."

"I'ms justs doings my job," the fat man quivered as his lisp intensified and the smell of urine struck Ayeka's nose. "I lets you ins and you leaves us alone, rights?"

Dropping the mess of a man as she did not want to dirty herself upon his type of filth Ayeka nodded saying, "You do this and after tonight you'll not only never see me again but I'll throw in a small tip for the inconvenience I've caused you."

Seeing the man greedily eyeing the second small yet fat roll of money in her hand the Shugorei Steward knew she had him and let a small smile play across her face as he nodded.

Reaching back to a large bottle of unknown alcohol the man pulled hard on the bottle tipping it forward. As the bottle tipped forward a small click was heard and a section of the floor moved back to reveal a descending staircase.

Tossing the small bundle of money to the nervous barkeep Ayeka descended the stairway until she came to a large iron door. Opening the heavy door she was somewhat surprised to see what lay before her.

While most of the establishments in Otafuku Gai were gaudy in their decorations, with bright neon colors, pulsating lights, and loud music, the room before her stood as a complete contradiction. Dark wood framed the room while relaxing crimson wallpaper was shadowed by the dancing flames of a fire burning in a large stone and iron hearth on the far wall. Light music of stringed instruments permeated the atmosphere and added an air of casualness to the entire thing.

Stepping farther into the room Ayeka noted a young woman in a scarlet evening gown seeming to be waiting for her as a far more elegantly dressed older woman disappeared down one of the long hallways surrounding the room. The young woman had shoulder length green hair tied back in an elaborate braid held firm by golden clips that matched the simple golden studs in her ears and the thin golden necklace that circled her neck and contrasted with her pale skin.

Giving a small bow the young woman began in a light and respectful tone, "Good evening Ma'am, please allow me to convey you further into our establishment. I will happily provide anything that you desire while you enjoy your stay here with us."

Feeling herself almost sickened by the innuendo that was in the statement the older woman replied, "My business will hopefully be short and I only require you to take me to this person."

As she said that Ayeka showed a small photograph to the green haired woman who took time to stare at it before replying, "Oh yes, he is currently in the main music lounge. If you will just follow me it is only a few rooms away."

Tucking the photo back into her kimono the auburn haired steward followed the young woman out of the foyer and into one of the corridors that branched off it. Weaving through the twisting passages Ayeka soon found herself in a room similar to the one she had just left except it was nearly three times larger than the previous one and had several people in it as well as a stage with a variety of musical equipment stood opposite the large fireplace on the main wall.

"You will find the man you seek over there in the corner," the green haired woman said as she indicated a pair of chairs and a small table that were shadowed by the shape of the room and the hearth containing the flickering fire. "If there is anything else please do not hesitate to ask."

Ignoring the small bow given to her Ayeka proceeded to cross the room. As she did her skills as a kunoichi kicked in and she noted her surroundings.

A large piano sat center stage and was currently being played by a young man who had two equally young women hanging off of him. Not far from the instrument and stage sat a middle-aged woman cooing delightfully as she had a young man just barely out of his teens kneeling before her and rubbing her feet and licking up her legs. Beyond the pair was a young man sitting on the lap of an older gentleman while two large breasted women rubbed up against them and the two males laughed and drank a dark amber alcohol from large glass snifters. Passing further into the room her eye picked up on the shadowed form of a an older man gently petting the clothed buttocks of a young woman in an evening gown similar to the one that had been worn by the girl that had led her to the room as the girl licked his wrinkled forehead and a young man rubbed up against the older man's leg like a faithful hound.

Finally reaching her destination and breathing a silent sigh of relief Ayeka pulled back the unoccupied chair made of dark wood and red leather to sit across the shadowed table from the other guest.

"I always knew that sooner or later someone would find me," the shadowed figure said in a rough voice that sounded as if the person had been gargling with acid yet held a quiet strength unto itself. "However, I would have never suspected that you would be the one to come and finish me off Ayeka."

As the words reached her ears the Shugorei Steward watched as a man she knew quite well leaned forward from the shadows to grasp the small decanter of alcohol sitting on the table before lifting it up to refill the small glass held in his other hand.

The man had a rough and weathered face with a large black eye patch covering his right eye. A pale scar moved down the right side of his forehead before disappearing under the leather patch and then reappearing to continue down the man's right cheek before ending at the curve of his jaw. Dark grey hair was cut in a tight crew cut giving the man a hardened military look despite the fact he wore a loosely buttoned white shirt of plain cut and make. A hawkish nose sat over tight lips and a cleft chin. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled back to his elbows revealing well muscled forearms with a light tan being noticeable in the flickering light of the fireplace. Looking the man up and down Ayeka noted that he wore black pants and mirror-polished shoes that complimented his white dress shirt. However, what surprised her was when she gazed into his remaining amber colored eye to find a war of emotions hidden within the depths of his soul.

Sipping at his alcohol the man took a moment before saying with a sad smile, "It's been just over twelve years and yet I could swear you haven't changed a bit since I last saw you."

"I could say the same for you Bunji," Ayeka began as she folded her hands into her lap. "However, I never would have guessed to find you in a place like this or dressed in such a proper manner. You were always one for the regular bars and taverns, not a fancy sex club like this, and I remember a time when Takara and I could barely ever get you to dress in anything but your uniform, battle armor, or training fatigues."

Giving a shrug the man now known as Bunji lazily replied, "What can I say…times change. It's been a long time since we were on the same team back in Konoha."

"Perhaps, but you'll never change Bunji," the Shugorei Steward corrected with a smirk. "It took me a number of favors and payoffs to find you, hell Takara even had trouble finding you before she tipped me off, but the world is too small a place for someone of your caliber and expertise to disappear unnoticed."

"Hmm, so what gave me away?" her ex-teammate asked as he quietly swirled his drink.

Eyeing Bunji carefully Ayeka answered, "Konoha received a report a few days ago about a group of thugs having been beaten to within an inch of their lives. Witnesses said one older looking man did all of the damage and did it in the defense of some young prostitute."

Seeing that her male ex-teammate had stopped swirling the alcohol in his glass to lean back heavily into his chair she added, "You're still that chivalric shinobi that you were when we first graduated the Academy together despite everything we've seen and been through."

"She wasn't a prostitute," Bunji interjected calmly as Ayeka began to pour herself a drink from the decanter he had placed back on the table. "She was just some honest farm girl that was being tricked by those thugs…."

"And you decided to straighten the whole situation out for her didn't you?" the auburn haired woman interjected politely before taking a sip of the amber colored alcohol she had poured out for herself.

Bunji's remaining eye seemed to gleam with humor as he ignored the comment and watched the Shugorei Steward suddenly screw her face tight as the taste of the alcohol hit her tongue.

"Hmm, seems you still can't enjoy good whiskey," the man said with a bit of a chuckle to his voice.

Coughing hard Ayeka fired back hoarsely as the alcohol burned its way down to her stomach, "Why can't you be like most people and enjoy a fine sake instead?"

Giving a hearty laugh the one eyed man answered, "I picked up a taste for this stuff back when we did that mission in Kumo just before you became a chunin, besides when have you ever known me to act normal in any way?"

Shaking her head as she chuckled slightly Ayeka thought back to a time long ago when she, Bunji, and Usohakkenki Takara had still been teenagers. Things had been so much simpler then with Bunji leading the two young women from mission to mission as they climbed the ranks of Konoha. Back then her biggest concern had been trying to get Oda's attention instead of playing politics like she was now.

Catching the sudden look of sadness that passed over Ayeka's face Bunji quietly remarked as he knew what her thoughts had turned to, "I'm sorry that I wasn't there when Oda…I…I really wanted to be there, but…."

"But you were dealing with your own pain at the time," Ayeka stated quietly in understanding. "It's alright, he would have understood. Anyway he went quickly and peacefully in his sleep before anyone realized it or could do anything about it."

Raising his glass in a silent toast to the man who had been his twin brother Bunji calmly remarked, "If only we could all be so fortunate when our time comes."

Wiping away a small tear from her eye the Shugorei Steward took another sip of her whiskey despite the abhorrent taste that it provided her. The burning sensation of the alcohol helped to tamp down the grief she had been battling since spying the face of the man who was almost the exact copy of her late husband.

"I heard Takara's finally a grandmother now," Bunji began in a calm tone to redirect the conversation away from their shared grief over a lost loved one.

"Yes," Ayeka said softly as her eyes took on a far distant look. "Despite being the captain for the ANBU Counterintelligence and Clandestine Affairs Division she somehow manages to still spend a great deal of time with her three grandchildren."

"Three?" the grey haired man stated in almost disbelief. "I could barely wrap my head around it all when she got married and then later became a mother of two, now you tell me she's got three grandchildren already."

"With a fourth on the way from my understanding," the Shugorei Steward laughed lightly at her old friend's dismay. "The oldest is just about to enter the academy too."

Downing his entire glass of whiskey in one gulp Bunji shook his head while saying, "How you all could ever put up with children, let alone actually get married, is a mystery to me."

"Oh yes," Ayeka stated with a hint of laughter. "This coming from the sixty-three year old bachelor who still finds time to send a bundle of toys to the Konoha Orphanage every year, not to mention he used to take in kittens when he was a young man."

"At least the cats never ran out on me," the one eyed man remarked brusquely as he stared down at his glass of whiskey.

"That's because all the women you ever dated could operate a door handle unlike your little feline friends," teased the auburn haired woman.

Ayeka continued to laugh lightly as she saw her former teammate flush in a combination of embarrassment and mild intoxication. However, her laughter abruptly died as three shadows suddenly blocked the light from the fireplace by standing next to the chair Bunji was occupying.

Taking in the tattered and dirtied cloaks of the three young men and their disheveled appearance the Shugorei Steward noted that each man that stood next to her friend had a headband from Kirigakure with a large slash marring its symbol. Noting the respectable chakra signature of each her mind immediately classified them as being mind-chunin level by Konoha standards and with their forehead protectors disfigure in such a way they had to be at least C-class missing-nin. The one in the lead had a greasy mop of brown hair on his head while one of his companions was completely bald and looked almost amphibian in nature. The last man wore a leather hood with metal zippers and studs obscuring all but his eyes. Before she could ask what was going on or send a signal over her concealed radio to her ANBU escorts waiting outside the lead man spoke.

"So you're the infamous Kyo Ken Bunji," the dirty brown haired man spoke while looking down at the grey haired, one eyed man sitting quietly. "I heard you were some great warrior, but you look like a fucking pussy sitting there."

"A great warrior eh?" the one eyed man asked sarcastically as he began to pour out another drink for himself before scoffing. "Heh, war does not make one great."

"Like I fucking care old man!" the lead missing-nin stated loudly as he and his companions pulled out a set of wicked looking daggers. "The bounty on your head will put me and my pals here on easy street for years to come…."

"Hey boss," the frog like companion of the lead man interjected as he pointed towards Ayeka. "This bitch looks familiar; you think she's worth anything?"

Glancing over in her direction the uncouth leader shrugged before saying, "We'll take her along as well; if she ain't worth anything we can still have some fun with her before selling her to a pleasure house in Amegakure, though can't expect much cause of her looks and age."

Feeling her anger rising at the behavior of the three and how she had been referred to in such a way, especially considering that despite her age the Shugorei Steward took some pride in the fact that she had aged so gracefully, Ayeka prepared to signal her ANBU guards outside before launching herself at the fools. However, she was stopped as Bunji reached across the table with his unoccupied left hand to pat her clenched fists in a sign of ease.

Turning his head back to the three Bunji softly said calmly, "There was no need to insult the lady, so you'll have to forgive my displeasure right now."

As the words reached the ears of the missing-nin turned bounty hunters their looks of anger intensified before there faces suddenly went blank and the heavy daggers in their hands dropped. Falling to the ground behind their knives the three began to whimper and cry as they clutched their heads and rocked back and forth in fetal positions.

Looking back from the crumpled and bawling men Ayeka saw Bunji holding his hands in the form of the snake seal while quietly saying, "Magen Narakumi no Jutsu."

Before the Shugorei Steward could demand an explanation the girl who had led her into the room appeared with the large bouncer who no had two pieces of cotton stuffed into his nose to halt any further bleeding.

As the bouncer grabbed the men's wrists and began to drag the three from the room the young escort bowed and apologized, "We are so sorry Bunji-san. They got in when Daisuke-san was getting fixed up by Gorou-san and I couldn't stop them before they found their way here."

Waving off the apology Bunji calmly commented, "There's no need to apologize Akemi, you and I both know that if it hadn't been those three fools it would have been someone else. I'm just glad they didn't try to wreck up the place or hurt anyone before confronting me."

"Still we pride ourselves on the refuge we can provide our clientele," the green haired Akemi hesitantly added. "Even though you only drink and never partake of the other services you are still a valued client and…."

"Just have Daisuke and Gorou check them into the local bounty office," the one eyed man interrupted as he reached back for his glass of whiskey. "They're small fry, but the money from them will clear up any difficulties that your mistress should have. If not she knows where to find me."

Giving a quick bow in acknowledgement Akemi left, but not before checking to make sure the other 'guests' were still enjoying themselves.

"It's been a while since I last saw someone use the Demonic Illusion Hell Viewing technique with a single seal," Ayeka commented as the grey haired man across from her began to sip his drink. "It's been even longer since I heard someone refer to you as Mad Dog Bunji."

"His teachings never go away, but you should know that Bo Ko Ayeka," the old yet still fit man stated calmly while giving a strong gaze towards his former teammate.

It had indeed been a while since she had heard herself called Steel Rod Ayeka and it took her back to when she used to weave through her foes using her metal staff all the while breaking their bones and spirits with her signature weapon. While she was doing so Bunji would have been launching jutsus with an unmatched fury into the enemy while letting out deep laughs reminiscent of barking as Takara employed her deadly poisoned weaponry to slowly bleed the opposition dry, it all seemed so far off now that she looked back upon it at the age of sixty-two.

Sighing heavily Bunji caught the auburn haired woman's attention again as he said, "That makes the fifth time in the last year someone's tried to cash in on me, but I guess that'll be all over soon now, won't it Ayeka-chan."

Puzzled the Shugorei Steward asked, "What are you talking about Bunji?"

Slamming his glass hard into the table the man replied in a low, cold tone, "Konoha has finally decided to tie up lose ends or am I missing something when you are clearly wearing an ANBU com device."

Somewhat surprised that her former teammate had noticed the hidden radio, especially since this new model was twice as small as the previous unit and far more concealable, Ayeka responded in a confused voice, "I don't know what you're talking about, I'm here because Jinjiro-sama sent me to find you and…."

Despite the temperature of the large fire heating the room the area where she was currently seated suddenly seemed to get freezing cold to the Shugorei Steward.

"You're here because of him?!" Bunji stated in an incredulous tone. "After all that he has done, you still would call him lord?!"

Hearing the anger in his voice Ayeka answered calmly in the hopes of pacifying the clearly irate man, "I am the Steward for Clan Shugorei now Bunji, I was hoping that you would…."

"I can't believe this!" the one eyed man yelled as the other guests in the room began to pause in their activities to stare at the two. "You really think he gives a damn about us? He's just using you, like he does everyone!"

"I know you're angry Bunji, but…," Ayeka began before being interrupted again.

"Angry doesn't even begin to describe me," the grey haired man's eye blazed with fury as he harshly voiced his opinion. "Both Oda and I followed that man and where did it take us, to fucking genocide that's where!"

By this point the other guests had decided to leave the room and Ayeka was starting to grow concerned as her former teammate raged against the man who had taken in and trained her husband and his twin.

"You weren't there Ayeka, and I highly doubt Oda ever told you about what happened that day," Bunji remarked coldly as he stood and began to pace in front of the large fireplace. "Sensei would have been ashamed at me for participating in that…that massacre."

Turning in her chair to watch him Ayeka interjected, "Oda told me that you were badly affected by it when I heard you had decided to leave Konoha after the council made its ruling, but he never seemed to…."

"He was hurt by it far more than I was," the grey haired man stated softly as he stopped to gaze into the fire. "I still remember after we got done razing that town to the ground with its people still inside the buildings how it was one of the few times I've ever seen him openly weep."

Her heart almost stopping as the new information was placed before her Ayeka hesitated before offering, "It was a time of war, things…."

"That doesn't mean anything!" the one eyed man yelled as his voice broke slightly and his shoulders shook slightly. "They were people and yet we slaughtered them as if they were vermin."

"Not once did I ever hear that man offer remorse for what he did that day," Bunji stated quietly as he continued to stare into the flames. "We slaughtered them, the men, the women, and the children, all of them and yet never did he even attempt to apologize for his actions or what he made us bear witness and be accomplices to."

Rising up from her seat and moving behind her taller friend Ayeka wrapped him into a tight hug as the anger and hate that was held in him rolled off in waves.

"I know you hate him for all of that, but that is why I believe he has sent me to find you," the auburn haired woman stated softly as her mind tried to trick her into believing it was her dead husband she was holding now and not his twin brother.

Seeing Bunji turn and his scar and eye patch vanishing for a moment Ayeka felt that she was staring up at Oda once again. Wishing that it was true and he had somehow returned to her a feeling of betrayal crept into her heart as Bunji broke the illusion by moving out of the embrace.

Staring at his back as he began to drink his whiskey straight from the decanter the auburn haired woman spoke in a calm tone, "Things are changing in Konoha Bunji and we, I need your help now."

Hearing no response as the man set down the empty glass vessel Ayeka added, "Oda would have understood."

"Jinjiro's nearly eighty-five years old Ayeka," Bunji stated in a low tone as continued to keep his back to her. "Despite your hopes and whatever hopes Oda had that man will never fulfill the contract we made with him. He is too old to carry out the ceremony and there is no other Shugorei member left to do so in his place."

Clearing her throat Ayeka replied in a quiet yet strong voice, "While Jinjiro-sama is far older than nearly anyone else in Konoha I believe you may be wrong in the belief that he is the last of the clan."

Glancing over his shoulder to regard his sister-in-law with his remaining eye Bunji took on a confused look as a single word escaped him, "What?"

Running through a set of seals that shut the entranceway to the room and blocked any sound from escaping Ayeka answered, "I am beginning to believe that Jinjiro-sama is training an heir."

"You must be mistaken," said a startled Bunji as he turned to face her fully. "If there really was an heir, something I doubt, Konoha would be scrambling to find him or her while Jinjiro flaunted the poor soul about."

Moving to sit in a chair that had stood unoccupied by the hearth when she had originally entered the Shugorei Steward replied, "That's what I initially thought as well, but the more thought I've put into it the more it seems that Jinjiro-sama is doing the exact opposite."

Beginning to pace once again in front of the large fireplace the grey haired man muttered out loud, "It doesn't make sense. I saw the casualty reports from the Kyuubi attack, the Shugorei were wiped out with Jinjiro being the only exception. Where would he get an heir from if no one else survived that night?"

Putting her fingers together in front of her face Ayeka supplied, "Jinjiro-sama could have been training someone during his exile before the Kyuubi no Youko attacked or perhaps he acquired the new heir from…."

"Don't say that name," harshly commented Bunji as he stopped his pacing and gave his sister-in-law a hard stare. "You know as well as I do his abilities and line was sealed after his banishment…after his crimes!"

His one eye blazing with fury Bunji continued heatedly, "He's the only person I despise more than Jinjiro and Danzou. The likelihood that he found a way to circumvent his punishment is impossible!"

Nodding in agreement the auburn haired woman agreed with her brother-in-law while saying, "Indeed, Jinjiro-sama would never unseal him, but I was merely speculating at where an heir may have come from."

Turning back to stare into the fire Bunji began to recompose himself as he stated, "Such speculation is premature, you still haven't given me any evidence to support the idea that there is even the possibility of an heir existing."

Grunting in acceptance of his comment Ayeka began to explain, "I didn't begin to start thinking about it until nearly a month ago when Jinjiro-sama started issuing new orders for me to carryout in the council. At the time they seemed to be normal orders, but their frequency seemed to increase and they became far more detailed in their reasoning and the way they needed to be implemented."

Looking at Bunji as the light from the fire flickered across his face the Shugorei Steward commented, "You probably don't know this, but HK-47 has been reactivated to his full functioning capacity about a month ago."

Glancing over his shoulder the one eyed man frowned as he asked, "Why on earth would anyone want to restore that psycho to full working order just to guard the ruins of the compound? I can understand keeping him operational to protect the hidden archives, but full restoration would imply…."

"That there is a plan to rebuild the compound, that's what I've figured," Ayeka remarked with a nod. "I've even gotten orders to begin a search for craftsmen and architects that can be trusted so plans for a new compound could be reviewed."

"That is a major detail," the man said as his eye widened in shock. "Does anyone else…."

"I've been very discreet in putting out feelers for the project, so I don't think anyone has begun to suspect yet," interrupted Ayeka again. "Those two points however make me question why Jinjiro-sama would go to all the trouble if Clan Shugorei wasn't going to be revived."

Chewing on his lower lip in contemplation Bunji suddenly remarked, "You said HK was repaired about a month ago, you mean Jinjiro actually came back to Konoha to do so?"

Blinking in confusion the auburn haired woman responded hesitantly, "No, I've not seen Lord Jinjiro since he conferred the title of Shugorei Steward on me almost seven years ago…."

Catching her fading voice as she trailed off Bunji offered in a calm voice, "If he hasn't returned to Konoha since then how did HK get repaired? No one else, not even we who served the Shugorei know the sealing methods used to maintain that psycho guardian."

"That is odd, I've never thought about it," the aging woman stated as she began to rack her brain for information. "Jinjiro-sama was only in Konoha for less than a day when he visited me and he would have needed to have worked on it for almost an entire day nonstop to effectively repair the system to its full functionality considering the damage the compound and surrounding area suffered."

Taking seat in a chair across from his sister-in-law the grey haired man spoke calmly, "Hmm, it seems your 'shadow heir' may actually exist after all."

"But why would he remain quiet and hidden from the village…from us?" inquired a confused Ayeka. "Surely Jinjiro-sama would have informed the heir about our loyal service and my role as steward."

"Maybe," Bunji offered as he began to scratch his chin in thought, "However, Jinjiro's a tricky old bastard. He could have sent the heir back to reset the system, but is keeping everything hidden at the moment to better prepare for the politics that will come into play when any heir is announced."

"But wouldn't it at least been prudent to have informed me about the heir being in Konoha?" the auburn haired woman questioned in confusion. "I could offer more help if I only…."

"Too risky," interrupted Ayeka's brother-in-law. "There are plenty of people who would love to kill or take advantage of a potential heir to Clan Shugorei. Keeping the knowledge quiet is most likely the best option. I'd make a good bet that only a handful of people know if there is an heir and probably only Jinjiro and Hokage-sama know the actual identity."

Rolling his shoulders and popping his neck muscles in a display of boredom Bunji added, "If there is an heir one can only hope that they're an improvement over Jinjiro. Good luck to you on all of this."

Feeling a shiver run up her spine at those words Ayeka pulled the folds of her kimono tighter as her mind went back to why she had originally sought out Bunji.

"Bunji," the old auburn haired woman began in a soft, hesitant voice. "I know you are still angry at Jinjiro-sama and that you want little to do with him, but…."

Lancing a hard, one eyed gaze into Ayeka's eyes the grey haired man spoke dismissively, "Just say it so I can say no and we can be done with this."

Sighing in regret at his response and bracing herself for what was to come Ayeka replied, "Jinjiro-sama wants you to return to Konoha to help design and then lead the new 'Ne' program."

Silence reigned over the room as the only sounds heard were the hisses and pops of the fire in the hearth next to the two former teammates. Confused at the reaction Ayeka prepared herself to prod Bunji for an answer when she heard a low chuckle begin form her companion.

The low chuckling quickly escalated into roaring laughter as the grey haired man tired to say between laughs, "You've…ha, ha, ha…got to be…heh, ha, ha…joking!"

Letting a small bead of sweat roll down her brow Ayeka sighed in relief that Bunji hadn't exploded in rage like she would have normally predicted.

Coughing lightly into her fist the Shugorei Steward gained the attention of the man still racked by laughter as she said, "I can assure you that this isn't a joke at all. My orders were clear on the fact that I was to get you to come back and take up the position."

"And why would I ever want to get embroiled in the difficulties that such a position carries," the one eyed man stated as he leaned back into the elegant chair in which he sat. "If you haven't noticed I'm pretty content right now in enjoying my retirement."

Hearing that statement Ayeka felt torn, part of her understood where Bunji was coming from as she had felt a similar way when she had initially been approached by Shugorei Jinjiro about taking the position of Shugorei Steward. However, the part of her that had been taught to always espouse duty before her own comfort had won out and that same part was now feeling disappointment in regards to Bunji's answer. It didn't help that Ayeka's sense of morality also was making a great show of disapproving of the surroundings her brother-in-law had decided to live his retirement in, despite his continued good acts.

"The Hokage will never allow Danzou and Jinjiro to recreate the program, so it's a mute point anyway," Bunji supplied as he closed his eye and settled further into his chair with a small grin.

Giving small frown in response Ayeka retorted, "Danzou has already stated before the council that he wishes no part in running the program, claims that he is getting too old to take care of children."

"And you think I'm any better?" sarcastically responded Bunji.

"Not just me and Jinjiro-sama, but the Hokage and a majority of the council," the auburn haired Shugorei Steward stated firmly. "It is a matter of record that you disapproved of the way 'Ne' was originally formed and used by Danzou. It is that feeling that has put your name at the top of the very short list approved by the council."

"Stupid politicians," grumbled the one eyed man as he glanced over towards the fire.

"Perhaps," Ayeka slowly said as she heard the rebuke. "However, that doesn't change the fact that you are seen as the best choice for redesigning and implementing…."

"No," came the simple interruption from Bunji.

Seeing that her brother-in-law was settling into the stubborn streak that he and Oda had both shared Ayeka sighed as she contemplated playing her final cards in the attempt to persuade him.

Deciding that she had noting else to use at the moment Ayeka quietly said, "I understand your frustration and why you don't want to have anything to do with Konoha or Jinjiro-sama anymore, but…."

"Well there's an understatement if I ever heard one," interrupted Bunji once again.

Giving the grey haired man a hard stare to show her displeasure at being interrupted once again Ayeka continued, "However, you need to set aside those feelings as you and only you can be the one to fill this position."

Hearing nothing in response from her old teammate the Shugorei Steward spoke firmly, "You know where all the mistakes were made last time, you know how to fix them, but more importantly you will not bend to political pressure and allow the program to be abused for anyone's personal gain. Only you can do all this and that is why it must be you who heads the new 'Ne' program."

Standing up and walking over to a wooden cabinet to retrieve a dark glass bottle Bunji stated lowly, "I…I can't. I will not be a part of something that abuses the innocence of children who are orphans and don't have the ties necessary to…."

"You won't have to worry about that," interrupted the auburn haired woman this time. "One of the provisions for the recreation of the program was that any candidates who enter the program have to have failed their final genin test either at the Academy or from their jounin instructor. They must also freely volunteer for the program."

Rising up from her own chair Ayeka continued, "All of the candidates will have had time to properly develop before they apply and after that their training will be up to you and the instructors you designate."

As he uncorked the bottle in his hand and began to pour out some of the amber liquid inside Bunji asked, "Instructors I designate?"

"Yes," nodded Ayeka resolutely. "As I was saying before, you will have free reign in the way you create and handle the program so long as you adhere to the fact that it is a program to train failed student volunteers so that they can become capable shinobi with the ability to supplement the ranks of the ANBU or any other role that may be designated by the standards and needs of Konohagakure."

"Who would I report to?" questioned the aging man as he studied how the firelight flickered within his glass of whiskey.

"Directly to the Hokage though you will have to attend conferences with the other five ANBU Division Captains," supplied the Shugorei Steward. "Since the training program is designed to supplement the ANBU it will be designated as a provisional division and you will receive the rank of Captain to be on par with the others."

Keeping his back to his former teammate and sister-in-law Bunji replied slowly, "It is a tempting offer, but I will have to de…."

"Wait," Ayeka interjected quickly. "Before you say anything more I would like to say something to you not as a council member or as the Shugorei Steward, but as your friend and your brother's wife."

Hearing no response the auburn haired woman took it as being a confirmation for her to continue.

"I wasn't supposed to pursue this as far as I have," Ayeka began. "My orders had a note saying that if you refused after I had laid out all the terms or if I couldn't find you within a month I was to let the matter drop and leave you in peace. However, I have been selfish for one of the few times since I have taken up this title and position."

Bunji remained quiet as he set down his untouched glass of whiskey and turned to look at the woman from his past who had sought him out.

"Part of me wants you to come back because if I am correct and there is an heir, he or she will need the support of people who are loyal and honorable in reforming Clan Shugorei. This is your chance to have a greater influence on the policy of the clan," Ayeka stated as her voice seemed took on a softer tone. "Yet even more important than that is the reason why I originally honored Jinjiro-sama's request to become steward for the clan."

Letting a small tear run down her face, the aging woman softly spoke, "I made a promise to Oda after he died that one day I would make sure he was remembered not as a servant, but as a true member of the Shugorei, that his ashes would be placed in the Shugorei crypt instead of next to it, that his family would get what was promised in the contract the two of you made with Jinjiro-sama. I…."

"Oda was always proud that we were given the opportunity to become Shugorei," Bunji interrupted quietly as he pulled an old, worn photo from his pocket. "He took it hard that we were just the bastard sons of a lowlife merchant who left our mother with nothing more than a few sets of clothes, two young boys, and a mound of bills."

Staring with his one eye at the photo which depicted two grey haired boys almost exactly alike standing with a plain looking woman with short black hair Bunji continued, "After we beat a few Shugorei kids in a street fight we were approached by a clan representative offering us the contract."

"It was a godsend, offering so much in return for serving," the grey haired man stated as he rubbed the picture between his thumb and forefinger. "All of the debts our mother owed would be gone and she would be taken care of. Oda and I would be trained both by the clan as well as sent to the academy to become shinobi of Konoha. However, the thing that made us the most proud was the promise that if we served well enough we could become Shugorei and our descendants would then be Shugorei."

Folding the picture back up and tucking back into his pocket Bunji continued softly, "Oda was always waiting for that moment yet it never came…."

Ayeka stayed quiet as she heard her brother-in-law trail off into silence. She watched silently as he picked up his glass of whiskey and held it before his lips, pausing as the light of the fire danced in his eye.

"Bunji…?" Ayeka spoke hesitantly as she was not sure what to make of the man standing in front of her in silence.

Quickly downing the entire glass and giving a small sigh as the burn of the alcohol hit his throat and worked its way down to his belly Bunji said in a low yet strong voice, "For Oda, I'll do it for him and no one else."

* * *

If a visitor to Konohagakure was to ask a resident of the village where the best place to eat was the name Ichiraku Ramen would be in the top ten places that the traveler would be referred to. The simple stand was not the most elegant or elaborate nor was it the largest or the cheapest. However, what it did have was good food and abundant friendliness. 

Ichiraku Teuchi, the owner, operator, and cook of the ramen stand, was often a brusque man more concerned with making sure the food he served was up to his exacting standards rather than making conversation with his customers. Despite this the man still made a considerable effort to have his customers feel comfortably at ease while enjoying their meals. This usually meant him listening to the problems of his customers as he carefully made his culinary preparations and offering small bits of advice, though sometimes this advice came down to a vague grunt and a small nod. While most would consider such things rude the customers of Ichiraku found it reassuring as they got to lay out their problems to an open ear and not be judged for it.

It could be said that if Teuchi was considered the 'brain' of Ichiraku Ramen his daughter, Ayame, would be its heart. Ichiraku Ayame was what some might call cheerfulness incarnate. The sixteen going on seventeen year old girl always had a smile and kind words for almost anyone who sat down at the small counter of her father's stand. An up and coming cook in her own right and a beautiful young woman, Ichiraku Ayame often filled in the gaps that her father's gruff manner left. While her advice was less, as she was not as experienced as Teuchi, her innate kindness made up for it and any person who talked to her walked away with a renewed sense of strength and resolve in facing their problems.

The small bits of comfort offered by the father and daughter team were often times why the Ichiraku Ramen stand was so popular, though the good food also helped. For one Uzumaki Naruto, the best customer the stand had seen since his own father had eaten there, the small stand had become something of a second home because of that fact.

Currently sitting and enjoying his meal as the October evening rolled in Naruto had a small stack of bowls sitting next to him as a few more were being prepared to sate his voracious appetite. As he ate the young Shugorei contemplated the events that had been unfolding since becoming a 'shadow partner' of Danzou.

The day after the initial agreement based upon Naruto's recommendations and plans, the nearly twelve year old boy had found himself being escorted by a pair of old 'Ne' ANBU into an underground facility to view the current strength of Danzou's private army.

While not overly large, considering that the group had only about twenty ninja scattered about the different ranks and groups making up the bulk of Konoha's military forces, the individual members were placed well enough to afford Danzou the ability to not only keep an eye upon nearly all aspects of Konoha, but also to act in a way that would ensure his powerbase. What was even more astonishing was the fact that while the twenty ninja that were currently operating were what was left of the old 'Ne' program Danzou had another group of about twelve boys around Naruto's own age being secretly trained to enlarge the ranks.

Naruto had been surprised to find that Danzou still possessed the capability to take orphans from around Fire Country in and train them in the old methods without anyone noticing. Meeting the scarred elder in an observation room as the boys were put through their paces Naruto had also made a few other major discoveries.

The first had dealt with the training methods employed by the 'Ne' instructors. Each boy had been stripped of their names and had nearly every sense of individuality beaten out of them. No numbers, no labels the trainees were simply nothing in the eyes of their trainers and that fact was brutally enforced when a mistake was made. While Naruto could say that his hijiji had put him through difficult and arduous training, but what he witnessed being done to the group made even him wince.

One boy with shoulder length grayish white hair had stumbled and fallen when the group was being sent through a trap laden obstacle course. The boy had nearly earned a set of kunai into his head when his mistake triggered one of the traps. However, he had been saved when a boy with shaggy black hair and pale skin had jumped in the way and blocked the incoming projectiles. The actions of the two had immediately caused an end of the exercise, but instead of rendering aid to the two the instructors began to verbally berate them before punishing them by having them be beaten by their fellow trainees.

Naruto had asked Danzou why this had been done, why the two were being punished in such a way when they had just survived what could have been a major training accident. The answer he had received was one detailing how potential 'Ne' operatives could only rely upon themselves to survive and that any sign of weakness had to be culled immediately so the individual's strength was not degraded. The young Shugorei had found the answer to be an eerie echo of Jinjiro's teachings and his own words to the Hokage. What was even more disturbing was the fact that Danzou had then informed him that the group had originally started out at nearly twenty-six members and it was predicted that of the twelve before them at the most seven would pass the final trials.

Asking what had happened to the members who hadn't made it this far had resulted in the scarred man informing the whiskered blond that trash was best used to fertilize the roots of any plant. Those words had made Naruto's mouth go dry as the many implications had flashed through his mind.

The second major discovery that the young Shugorei heir had discovered had been why he had seen no kunoichi working for 'Ne' and no girls being trained. It seemed that Danzou thought the idea of women working in any other role besides that of a seductress in the shinobi world was ludicrous. The man's blatant sexism had turned Naruto's stomach nearly as much as the brutal training methods that were being employed.

Pausing as he finished another bowl of ramen the blond Shugorei wondered if he had made a mistake in not only accepting Danzou's help, but also aiding the man. Troubled by those feelings Naruto thought of what he had done since his visit to Danzou's facility.

"_I'm glad Ayeka got Bunji to come back,"_ the whiskered boy thought as his next bowl was placed before him. _"I can't let what Danzou is doing start again in a program I'm backing and Bunji is the key to preventing it."_

When he had initially outlined how he was going to structure the new 'Ne' program Naruto had not given much thought to who he would recommend to head it up. However, after he had witnessed the way Danzou's program worked he had made it his top priority to find someone who could be trusted to not allow such things to happen.

Skipping the Academy for a few days Naruto had poured over the records of the old 'Ne' program and the Konoha archives in the hopes of finding someone who would not only fulfill the needs of the program and be acceptable to both the Hokage and Danzou, but also be beyond Danzou's influence. Strangely enough the answer had come when Naruto had been reading one of scrolls that Jinjiro had left him.

The scroll had detailed the relationship that the Shugorei had with its servants. The names of Ayeka and Oda had been prominent along with Bunji's. Pouring over the information Naruto had discovered that Bunji was the optimum candidate as records showed he had knowledge of not only the old 'Ne' program, but had testified before the council against the program before it had been shut down. The key point that cinched the whole thing had been the discovery of the contract that Oda and Bunji had made with the Shugorei under Jinjiro.

The contract had promised the twins their families, and their descendents membership in the clan if they proved worthy through service. Reviewing all of the information Naruto had found that the men had fulfilled their end of the bargain many times, yet Jinjiro had never fulfilled the promise. From his hijiji's writings Naruto found that the Shugorei Lord had decided that the two men and their family were too good at being servants and that keeping them as such would possibly prove more advantageous to the clan than simply adding a few new members.

Part of Naruto felt ashamed that the man he looked up to had acted in such a selfish manner as to deny someone what they had righteously earned. Coupling to this feeling were the memories of what he had seen of the old 'Ne' program and the knowledge that the same man who had nurtured him and trained him had been a fundamental part in creating the program and then approving its methods.

Deciding that Bunji would be his best chance at righting the wrongs his family had helped perpetuate Naruto had sent out orders to Ayeka to find the man. He had also included a provision in the orders to allow Bunji the chance to refuse and be left in peace if the man so wished. However, Naruto had promised himself that despite what Bunji would decide when the time came for the revelation of his heritage his first act as Lord Shugorei would be the fulfillment of the contract.

"_Maybe Hokage-jiji was right,"_ the young blond thought quietly as he slurped up some noodles._"Perhaps I have been blind to the sins that hijiji and the clan have committed."_

Pausing his eating for a moment Naruto became troubled as he wondered, _"Am I heading down the same path with my own actions? Am I doing the right thing for the wrong reasons or is it that I am doing the wrong thing with all the right reasons?"_

"_**Ponderous is it not?"**_ interjected the voice Naruto had identified as belonging to his still unformed Zanpakuto.

"_Great, when I want to talk you're silent and when I'm trying to think you're chatty,"_ the whiskered boy silently complained.

"_**A great conundrum isn't it?"**_ the Zanpakuto quipped.

"_I've spent the last few weeks trying everything to talk to you,"_ Naruto mentally shot back as he slowly ate his ramen. _"I've poured over most of the Shugorei archives and yet now of all times you decide to talk to me."_

"_**And why do you think that is, hmm?"**_ the low toned voice asked with a hint of amusement.

"_You're a sadist and like to see me suffer?"_ offered the young blond with a bit of anger.

"_**See that's one of things I like about you, your wonderful sense of humor,"**_ the Zanpakuto stated with a chuckle.

Naruto offered no reply as he thought about how he would like to wring the neck of his Zanpakuto's soul, that is if it had a neck considering he still hadn't even been able to enter the inner sanctum that the soul called home to see what kind of body the voice belonged to.

"_**Seems I may have touched a nerve there,"**_ the soul said in an almost whimsical tone.

"_Touched a nerve no," _mentally growled the Shugorei heir. _"Getting on my nerves most definitely."_

Giving a hearty laugh at the response the voice of the Zanpakuto replied,_**"Well at least you are beginning to make some progress. I guess I'll just have to wait and see how long it takes you to figure more out."**_

Feeling his frustration growing Naruto knew that the conversation was over as the voice of his Zanpakuto didn't offer anymore words of wisdom. Muttering a few curses under his breath as he finished the bowl of ramen in front of him the young blond was slightly surprised when a gentle hand touched his own.

"Is everything alright Naruto-kun?" asked Ayame as she had a small look of worry on her face as she placed a new bowl of ramen down on the counter. "You know my father and I would help you in anyway we could if you needed it."

His frustration bleeding away slightly Naruto gave a small grin while scratching the back of his head to hide what was troubling him before saying, "It's nothing I can't handle. I just need to sort out my priorities right now."

"How about putting attending class at the top of that list?" came an annoyed voice from a person sitting down next to the whiskered blond.

Turning to regard the new customer Naruto found himself staring into the face of a disgruntled Umino Iruka.

"Hokage-sama said you might be here and low and behold here is where I find you," the scarred chunin stated in a growl as his eye twitched in annoyance.

Naruto cringed faintly as the annoyed gaze of the chunin instructor bore into him, thinking, _"That's almost the same look Jinjiro-hijiji would give me when he found me slacking off when he was trying to teach me academics."_

After his second day Naruto had only attended class at the Academy once or twice a week. The young Shugorei heir had decided that his time would be better spent concentrating on his political dealings, improving his jutsu arsenal, and trying to get his Zanpakuto to form and reveal its name. On top of that he had used his connections with Danzou to have some of the less principled instructors at the Academy fix it so his absences were for the most part ignored. It seemed that Iruka had not gotten that memo.

"So what can I do for you," Naruto said nonchalantly as he blew on a piece of shrimp he had pulled from his new bowl of ramen.

"You can start by attending class and I do mean actually attending and not having Mizuki or someone ignore your absence," the Academy instructor stated firmly. "Or don't you want to become a shinobi?"

Silently chewing his food and swallowing the blond replied candidly, "There are other paths to becoming a shinobi than by simply attending lectures and childish exercises."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean anything to me right now," Iruka stated as he continued his hard gaze at Naruto. "Hokage-sama was adamant about you entering my class and that I be patient with you as he indicated you haven't had the socialization that your peers have."

"Well if your patience is wearing thin you can always just expel me," Naruto responded without as much as flash of concern. "Even Hokage-sama doesn't have the power to make you keep me, that decision is solely yours."

"Oh it's crossed my mind, but I won't simply let you walk away from this so easily," the chunin said as he watched Naruto slurp down the broth that remained in the bowl.

Setting his empty bowl next to the stack of bowls he had already begun Naruto quietly murmured, "Is that so?"

Sighing as he watched Naruto start to dig into a new bowl of ramen placed on the counter by a concerned looking Ayame, Iruka stated suddenly, "I don't get you Naruto!"

Glancing at the exasperated chunin with a quirked eyebrow Naruto remained silent.

"You've got skills beyond any other student in the class and don't try to deny it. I'm a teacher, I've got eyes in the back of my head and notice things that many others don't," the scarred man ranted. "You should already be a genin yet Hokage-sama stuck you into my class. Why is that?!"

"You'd have to ask him," the hidden Shugorei replied as he opened his mouth to eat a wad of noodles.

"Oh I have," Iruka responded in an irked tone. "He said that your time in the Academy wasn't to teach you shinobi skills, but to teach you what it means to be a Konoha-nin."

"Hmm," Naruto hummed as he chewed on a leak he had plucked from his bowl.

His eye twitching more than before Iruka exclaimed, "Are you even bothering to pay attention!"

Putting his chopsticks down and looking at his meal with a frown the whiskered boy softly commented, "What do you care if I actually attend or not? I saw the look you gave me originally when I was introduced by Hokage-jiji. You're just like most people, can't see anything in me other than the Fox."

As the words left Naruto's mouth Iruka's eyes widened and he quickly glanced about the small stand. Both Ayame and Teuchi had moved to the back and were busying themselves with cooking. Other than them, himself, and Naruto the stand was empty.

Giving a stern yet confused look to the young blond Iruka hesitantly asked, "How do you…?"

"I've known for quite some time and the Hokage knows that I know seeing as he was one of the people who told me," Naruto continued in his soft tone. "I even know about the law surrounding me, but it doesn't matter as I am an exemption when it comes to revealing that tidbit."

Leaning back while balancing himself on his stool the young blond continued speaking, "I know that you probably think about me much the way most of the people in this village do, but you want to know something?"

Catching the small nod from the confused chunin Naruto turned an eye towards the man and said in a neutral tone, "The truth is I don't care what you or anyone else thinks. I'll become a shinobi greater than any other, so take your shortsightedness somewhere else."

Picking his chopsticks up again Naruto began to eat while Iruka sat in a daze.

Blinking several times the scarred chunin finally came out of it when Ayame came over and set a medium sized bowl of ramen before him with a small nod.

Breaking his own chopsticks apart Iruka began to dip them into the bowl when he suddenly stopped. Letting the utensils rest in the bowl the young chunin rotated on his stool to look at the young boy who was continuing to eat.

"I won't deny that for a long time I thought of you as a demon," the scarred man said quietly as he let his eyes fall with a bit of shame. "I had just entered my last year at the Academy when the Kyuubi attacked us. My parents went out to fight and never came back. For the longest time I blamed you for what occurred and when I was originally informed that you would be entering my class I was so angry that I couldn't even see straight."

The only indication that Naruto had heard the man was a small grunt as he began to drink the broth from his bowl.

"When I saw you enter the classroom with the Hokage part of me wanted to leap forward and kill you, to avenge my parents and all the others who died fighting that night," Iruka continued as he rested his hands in his knees. "However, another part of me won out when I saw you handle Mizuki."

Staring directly towards Naruto the chunin stated firmly, "You could have broken his arm or worse because he underestimated you, but you didn't. Instead you had that playful grin on your face as if it was all just a game to you. However, at the moment you looked at me with that smile I saw the truth about you just as I see it now."

"And what truth would that be exactly?" the young Shugorei heir asked in a sarcastic manner.

"You're trying so hard to hide just how messed up you are and how much you are afraid of what others might think about you that you hide behind that smile," the Academy instructor stated knowingly. "I used to use the same tactic to hide how messed up and afraid I was. I continued to use it almost to the point where I forgot just who I truly was and what things really meant to me."

Reaching a hand out to touch Naruto's shoulder Iruka continued, "I know what it's like to start loosing yourself and I know how tempting it is to let it happen, but trust me when I say that is not a path you want to go down. I was lucky that I had people who cared about me enough to bring me back, but I'm worried that you're pushing those people away before they can even get a chance to know you let alone help you. I…."

"Don't compare yourself to me!" Naruto interrupted harshly as he threw off the supportive hand that sat on his shoulder. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but I am perfectly fine just the way I am!"

"No you're not," Iruka said softly as he stared past the blond boy's anger. "The only time you've been fine was when I watched you eat lunch with Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Chouji, Shikamaru, and Ino. You were fine when you were with them and Sakura later during the Taijutsu spars. You were even fine when you went up against Sasuke, but every time you've been to class since then you have been anything but fine."

Standing abruptly and fishing out his wallet Naruto said simply "I'm done for the evening Ayame-neesan."

"Not yet you aren't," Iruka stated as he pulled Naruto back down to the stool by the arm. "Ever since that day at the Academy you've been avoiding those people who thought they were your friends, just like how you're now trying to avoid me. Why are you scared Naruto, why are you running away from them?"

Rounding onto the scarred chunin Naruto exclaimed angrily, "I'm not afraid of anything and I'm certainly not running from you!"

"If that's true then stay and talk with me," the chunin instructor said in a soft tone while narrowing his eyes as he watched Naruto.

Settling back into his seat Naruto turned to regard the chunin who seemed to be giving him nothing but trouble tonight before saying, "So, what do you want me to do now?"

Giving a small smile Iruka turned back to his bowl of ramen and said, "I've been impressed with how you first acted around the other students that day you had lunch with them."

Picking a small bit of noodle up the man continued, "I'm not sure if you are aware of it or not, but your actions have had a significant effect upon them."

"Whoop-di-doo," sarcastically responded Naruto. "Does this actually have a point?"

Swallowing his bite of noodles Iruka ignored the comment and continued, "That day was a turning point for all of them. I was originally unsure that they would all become genin at the end of the year, but after seeing how they were affected by you I don't have any worries about it."

Quirking an eyebrow in silent response Naruto waited for the man to expand upon his thoughts.

"All of them are trying harder now then ever before and are growing because of it," the chunin said as he ate a small, spiraled fishcake.

"Good for them," the whiskered blond said as he leaned forward onto the countertop.

"However, despite their improvements they aren't fully committed to what they are doing every day," Iruka said slowly as he let his chopsticks dangle in his bowl. "Each day you aren't in class I see them all looking worried at where you might be, it's even worse when you are actually there and seem to ignore them."

Closing his eyes in annoyance the almost twelve year old boy replied, "I have more important things to worry about then them."

"Do you?" the Academy instructor asked. "You've given Hinata some confidence, Kiba a greater drive to better himself, Sakura is focusing more on her skills just as Ino is as well because of what you said to them after the spar, Chouji and Shikamaru pay more attention in class, Shino is…well Shino's difficult to get a read on."

Chuckling lightly at that part the Shugorei heir said, "Yeah, he's definitely into the whole 'mysterious warrior' thing."

Nodding in agreement Iruka continued, "I've even noted that Sasuke's attitude has improved. Whenever you're in class he tries harder so as to make sure you don't beat him again. When you aren't in class he seems to agitated that you may be off somewhere getting stronger."

"That's definitely something I didn't know," the young blond said as he sat up straight. "Last I heard Sasuke seemed to hate my guts. Are you sure he's not just pissed at me in some new way? I have shown him up a few times since the spar."

Letting out a small laugh the brown haired man replied, "I try to talk to Sasuke every few days to see how he's doing, but he's a difficult nut to crack and that Uchiha Steward the council appointed seems to try and keep him isolated. Despite that I can tell he's started to see you as a rival for the top spot in the class."

"Hmm," the whiskered boy hummed in response as he reflected on that point.

Turning his head to glance at Naruto, the young chunin added, "They don't need to know everything about you Naruto, but the least you could do is try being the friend they thought you were."

Naruto opened his mouth but before he could lash out with another sarcastic remark he went silent as his mind thought, _"I may not be hurting them physically, but is what I'm doing really any different from what Danzou has his instructors doing to those trainees? Am I becoming like him without realizing it?"_

As those thoughts came to his mind Naruto began to remember things he had been taught by the matron, the Hokage, and by his hijiji.

"_The matron always told me to try and be a good person, to do the right thing. Hokage-jiji wants me to learn about the Will of Fire so as to be not only a better shinobi, but also a good comrade. However, Jinjiro-hijiji always said that I had to grow stronger and had to rely on myself and my training,"_ thought the troubled youth. _"But what does it all mean; can I be all of them or just one of them?"_

Thinking about what Iruka had been saying part of Naruto knew the man was being completely honest with him. That knowledge touched something in the young blond, but he wasn't quite sure what it was.

Regarding all of the things that he faced Naruto hesitantly asked in a quiet voice, "Can I ask you a question?"

Pausing as he chewed the scarred man looked at Naruto confusedly for a second before swallowing and saying, "Of course."

Looking down at his hands Naruto spoke slowly, "What would you do if something was expected of you, but you weren't sure if the way you were doing it was the way you really should be? I mean I know what I need to do, but I'm…."

"You're not sure about the decisions that have led you to this point," Iruka finished for Naruto.

"Yeah," the blond said softly.

"Hmm," the scarred chunin hummed as he rubbed his chin. "Well I would say that the first thing I would do is ask myself if I still recognized myself."

"Eh?" Naruto let out in a puzzled manner.

"Sorry, it's just something my father told me before he died," Iruka said quietly. "He always told me that if I ever looked into the mirror and didn't recognize the face staring back at me I needed to think long and hard about whom exactly I want to be."

"Part of me wants to be one thing while another part wants to be another," Naruto sighed as he talked. "There's tradition and certain expectations, but then there's so much else."

Rubbing his chin the scarred chunin responded calmly, "Tradition can be both a good and bad thing Naruto. It can give us a base from which to start from, but at the same time it can trap us and stop us from discovering who we truly are. The important thing to remember is that we are not defined by tradition, but rather it is tradition that is defined by us."

"_Defined by us?"_ wondered the young Shugorei. _"I've already defied hijiji's tradition by promising myself to honor Oda and Bunji's contract. Does that mean I should start doing other things differently as well?"_

Looking towards his Academy instructor Naruto asked, "Why? Why are you doing this? You don't know me and I certainly haven't tried to be even a good student for you. So why are you doing all of this?"

Finishing his bowl of ramen Iruka sighed before saying, "As I told you before, I know what it's like to be messed up. It took me a while to figure it all out and if it hadn't been for some very stubborn friends I probably would have never truly gotten better."

"Yeah, I get that," Naruto said calmly. "But I can tell there's more to it then just that."

"Well I guess part of it is penance in a way," the scared chunin replied in a sad tone.

"Penance?" uttered the blond in confusion.

"Let's just say that when I was still messed up I did a number of things that I'm not proud of and I don't want anyone else to ever have to go through the same thing," Iruka said quietly in response. "On top of that I feel that I owe you a bit for the way I thought about you considering you're the only thing between us and total annihilation by Kyuubi."

Standing up from his stool Naruto seemed to think about what had been said before saying, "You've given me some things to think about, but it's starting to get late and I have a few things to take care of before it gets too late."

Nodding in response Iruka commented, "I hope to see you tomorrow in class Naruto."

Pausing as he began to slip out of the small stand the blond replied, "Maybe, I need some time to think, but who knows what will happen."

"Yeah who knows," the chunin said with a sad smile.

A few moments after Naruto had left him Iruka was sipping a small cup of tea when Ayame came over to him.

"Thank you Iruka-san for taking the time to talk to Naruto-kun," the teenage waitress and cook said sweetly.

"I would have done it sooner or later, but it was a good thing you tipped off Hokage-sama that he was coming here regularly," the chunin said as he sipped at his tea.

"My father and I were getting worried about him," Ayame said softly as she wiped down the counter. "He came in for dinner most nights, but he was always so quiet over the past few weeks when before he was always so cheerful."

"Hokage-sama mentioned as much when I originally confronted him about Naruto skipping classes," Iruka said as he set his cup down. "I thought that Naruto would be confronted about it by Hokage-sama, so I was a somewhat surprised when he asked me to do it instead."

"We've noticed that the relationship between Hokage-sama and Naruto has become somewhat…strained lately," supplied Teuchi as he moved around to the front of the stand. "The old man probably thought you could do a better job talking with Naruto than he or the either of us could."

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Ayame asked with a bit of hope bleeding through.

"Hmm, it's hard to say," Iruka stated quietly as he turned his tea cup idly. "I meant what I said to Naruto and before he left I thought I was getting through to him, but I could be wrong."

Sighing as he picked up his cup of tea the scarred chunin continued, "I thought I was making progress with Sasuke at one time, but that turned out to be a mistake. Naruto is a lot like Sasuke, so I'm not sure why Hokage-sama thought I could be much help after I failed before."

Pouring his own cup of tea Teuchi sighed and said, "You can't blame yourself for what happened with that boy. You were still dealing with your own demons at the time and had just started teaching. It was bad luck that he was put into your class and the council put that burden on you."

Blowing on the hot tea the owner of Ichiraku Ramen added in a disgusted voice, "Having that rat of a man, Tsubasa, on your case also didn't help matters."

Reaching out a hand to rest on Iruka's shoulder Ayame gave a small, heartfelt smile while saying, "I'm sure things will be different for Naruto."

"Thanks," the Academy instructor said before drinking some more of his tea. "I hope so."

"The past is the past Iruka. People care about you and don't hold what you used to be against you," Teuchi said in a quiet voice as he sipped his tea. "Hokage-sama knew what he was doing by placing Naruto under you. You know what its like to fall and you know what its like to be pulled back up."

Setting down his cup of tea and staring at the cup as memories pulled at his mind Umino Iruka sat in silence wondering about what Naruto would decide to do.

* * *

Walking down the streets of Konoha Naruto's thoughts dwelled upon something Iruka had said to him. 

"_We are not defined by tradition, we define it,"_ the whiskered boy's mind was turning that one statement over and over as he followed his feet.

Stopping for a moment Naruto looked around to gather his bearings as he had been wandering aimlessly for the last few hours since leaving Ichiraku. Glancing about he let out a sad chuckle as he recognized where he was.

The small field he stood in was the same one where he had originally met Jinjiro in so many years ago.

"_It's been just over a full month since I lost him, just about seven years since I met him," _Naruto thought sullenly. _"It was few weeks after my birthday when he changed my entire world."_

As his mind hit upon that thought Naruto felt himself growing a bit sadder. In only a few more days the village of Konoha would begin the massive celebration that marked the defeat of the Kyuubi no Youko at the hands of the Yondaime Hokage. It was also the day when the young blond had been born into this world and when he had been cursed in a way few would ever understand.

"_This'll be the first birthday without hijiji I've had since I met him,"_ the young, Shugorei heir thought quietly. _"Part of me misses him so much."_

Looking up at the clear autumn sky Naruto stared at the stars thinking,_"Despite that a part of me is so angry at him for all that he did and how he never really told me the truth about it. He always glossed it over with the ideas of duty and honor, the glory of the Shugorei, but what about the truth? What about trusting me to decide things for myself?"_

Sighing heavily the young blond pulled his katana out of the sheath on his back and began to look over all of the nicks and scratches that he had worn into it when he had practiced against the old man.

"_Why did Hokage-jiji have to bring up all those things? Why couldn't he let me remember Jinjiro-hijiji ideally instead of truthfully?"_ contemplated the boy. _"What about all that Iruka-sensei said?"_

As he stood there trying to figure it all out Naruto felt a bit of humor hit him as he realized he had started referring to the scarred Academy teacher as being his sensei. He hadn't used that term since he had trained with Jinjiro.

Before he could wonder about what the implications of that could be Naruto's senses picked up on the fact that he was slowly being encircled. Glancing about the field the blond noted that a small group was moving through the woods surrounding the clearing and were now starting to collapse in upon him.

"_A noticeable chakra signature hanging back, but for the most part seems as if it's a group of civilians,"_ the Shugorei heir mentally surmised.

Sheathing his sword as it would do him little good to kill anyone, especially since he could simply beat the hell out of them instead and avoid a reprimand from the Hokage, Naruto called out, "Alright, why don't you all come out now so we can get this over with?!"

As the words echoed throughout the small clearing about fifteen villagers armed with everything from broken bottles and rocks to farming implements and old weapons emerged.

Catching the small killing intent rolling off the group, as well as the scent of alcohol as a few of the villagers looked quite unsteady, the whiskered blond began popping his knuckles while saying, "Seems you all want to play, good I could use some excitement to take my mind off of all the crap I've been dealing with lately."

Hearing grumbles and curses coming from the group as it moved in closer the young vessel added with a smirk, "I guess I'll have to warm up on you and then deal with the shinobi that's accompanying you and only watching right now."

As the last word left his mouth Naruto moved his head a few inches to the left to avoid a stone that had been thrown at him. As he dodged the projectile a villager with a pitchfork came rushing in from behind with the intent to skewer him as a man with a sledgehammer leapt forward to crush him from his front.

Pushing off of the ground the young blond leapt up just before the two weapons would have impacted him. Leaning backwards to flip over the pitchfork wielding villager the Shugorei heir grinned morbidly upon seeing the two men had felled each other with the strikes that had been intended for him.

Landing only a few feet behind the pair Naruto turned to glare at the rest of the gathered crowd while ignoring the pitiful whimpers of the skewered sledgehammer wielding villager as the man cradled his wounded belly and stared at the crushed head of the farming tool's owner.

Narrowing his eyes as he turned to regard the shocked group the whiskered boy growled out, "Come on is that the best you can do?"

As his words hit his dazed attackers some of the group began to charge at the young vessel while others fled back into the darkened forest.

Mentally noting that the group attacking him had decreased in size as he spied several frightened villagers running for their lives Naruto ducked under a pick that had been swung at him before launching himself upwards to break the wielders jaw with an open palm strike. As the man fell backwards the hidden Shugorei pushed off with his left leg to throw himself towards his right to deliver an elbow smash with his right elbow into the face of another villager. Dropping down low the boy followed the strike with a sweep kick that brought the bloody faced man crashing down.

"_I got to remember not to try and kill any of these guys if I can avoid it,"_ Naruto quickly reminded himself as he rose up from his crouched position to spear another villager in the gut before rolling to the side. _"Jiisan's going to find out about this one way or another so it'd be better if I could claim the moral high ground."_

Coming out of his roll and launching into a kick that bent one man's knee sideways, bringing him down to clutch at the broken wound, the blond pivoted as he rose up to hit the same man with a reverse roundhouse to the side of the head. Watching for a moment as the man he just struck flew to the side Naruto barely was able to avoid a small, heavily curved sickle being wielded by an angry looking woman. Despite the hasty dodge a sharp sting ran up the boy's right leg before a warm feeling trickled down from the spot.

"_Damn!"_the Shugorei heir mentally exclaimed as he grabbed the woman's arm and broke it at its locked elbow joint. _"Why do they get to try and kill me when I have to play nice with them, that's so not fair!"_

Letting go of the woman's broken arm Naruto grabbed her hair to pull her head down to meet his rising knee.

Feeling a familiar crunch as the woman's left cheek impacted upon his knee the whiskered youth looked about the clearing quickly to see who was next to receive a beating from him. Ignoring the whimpers and moans of those who had already been on the receiving end of his blows Naruto spied four villagers shaking a few yards away from him with looks of fear on their faces.

Glaring coldly at the trio Naruto yelled, "So you want some too or you going to go home?!"

Hearing those words the remaining, unharmed men and woman fell over themselves before scrambling away to join their companions who had already fled. Sighing heavily at seeing the group fleeing the blond vessel looked about the field to see the scattered forms of the people that he had wounded and had been left behind by their comrades.

"_They sure as hell will remember tonight, well all except that guy who gut his head bashed in that is, but that wasn't my fault,"_ the boy mentally remarked as a frown marred his face as he dabbed at the shallow wound he had taken to his right leg. _"Damn that stings! Stupid bitch, should never have let her get that strike in!"_

Moving away from the group the boy silently berated himself for the mistakes he had made during the scuffle as he reviewed all of his actions and the options he could have done instead but had ignored. As the event replayed in his head the boy felt rage beginning to build within.

"Gods fucking damn all of you!" the blond yelled at the hapless villagers laying on the ground as his anger rose up at having not only been wounded by a civilian, but by being placed into the whole situation in the first place. "You insignifi-cunts! You just don't get it do you! If I had wanted to I could have killed you all, fuck!"

Sitting down on a bench off to the side the whiskered boy sighed as he felt a small bit of the Kyuubi's chakra sealing up his leg. Removing his sheathed sword from his back to get more comfortable the blond boy's hands began to shake slightly.

"I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have said that!" Naruto started as he leaned back as his adrenaline high started to wear off. "I'm not supposed to let anyone know about any of that. I can't say shit like that around all of you shortsighted bigots. I got to tiptoe through the tulips with all you fuckers, so you can get it through goddamned heads that I'm not that asshole Fox, Kyuubi!"

"Fucking hell!" the boy finished as he let his head slump forward as his emotions warred within him.

Before he could start sorting out his thoughts Naruto felt a small tingle in the back of his mind as kunai with several exploding tags attached to each landed around him. Using Shunpo the young Shugorei barely avoided the blast that destroyed the bench he had been sitting on and left a good sized crater in the ground.

Having used the flash step to move to the other side of the clearing the whiskered blond began to focus himself back into a battle mindset.

"_Damn it all! How could I have forgotten about that chakra signature that was waiting behind all of those civies!" _the young Shugorei berated himself mentally. _"Bastard must have stirred them up and hoped they would kill me or at least soften me up. Now whoever it is thinks they can finish me off."_

With those thoughts finishing Naruto dodged to the side to avoid a few shuriken and the set of wires trailing after them that would have tangled him up. Moving a few feet away the boy felt a presence suddenly behind him before letting out a scream as a ball of fire hit him in the back.

Rolling on the ground to put out the small flames that had burned through his vest, the light mail in it that was supposed to protect him menial protection, and the shirt he wore underneath to scorch his back Naruto caught a glimpse of a set of feet slowly making their way towards him.

"That was an interesting little display you put on out their demon," a cold voice remarked as the young blond moved to a crouch.

Looking up from his kneeling position and ignoring the pain that shot through his back Naruto saw a large man wearing a Konoha chunin uniform standing before him. The man easily topped out at over six feet and looked to be a mass of muscle. His face was a scrunched pile of flesh and it didn't help the man's looks that he had shaved his hair down to patchy stubble.

"Lousy civies couldn't do their damn job so I guess I'll have to finish you off myself," the man sneered.

"You can try," Naruto spat as he tightened his grip on the sheathed katana in his left hand before he suddenly felt blinding pain in his chest as he was lifted into the air by a heavy kick from the ugly man.

Landing on his back and coughing hard as the air had been driven from his lungs the young Shugorei caught a glimpse of the unknown chunin before the man seemed to faze out of existence. Rolling to the side Naruto's left hand was shot through with pain as a large foot slammed down upon it.

"You think you've got a chance against me?" darkly chuckled the man as he ground his foot down onto the hand underneath.

Clenching his teeth as he felt his bones breaking and being ground against one another the blond boy focused on his right hand he formed a single seal and yelled out, "Shakkahou!"

Pointing his open palm up towards the jounin's face the whiskered Shugorei let fly a ball of red fire. Catching the man unaware the small offensive jutsu struck him on the side of the head and exploded causing him reel backwards while clutching the point of impact.

Rolling to the left Naruto focused enough to let his right hand pick up his sheathed katana which had fallen out of his now mashed left hand. Biting on to the pommel as he pulled into a crouch the dexterous Shugorei heir used his right hand to pull off the sheathe protecting the blade.

Spitting the sword out and grasping it one handed as he moved his broken left to rest against his chest the blond spoke lowly, "Don't underestimate me bastard."

Before the jounin could respond the whiskered boy launched himself towards the man using Shunpo. As he used the technique to speed past the man Naruto slashed his katana through the chunin's left arm. Rounding about as he came to a halt and prepared to use the high speed movement and strike once again the blond Shugorei found his eyes widening in surprise as instead of seeing the man clutching at a bloody stump he spied a slashed piece of wood.

"Kawarimi…" the boy trailed off in shock just before something heavy smashed into the right side of his face.

"You little shit!" yelled the berserk chunin, the side of his head was blistered flash burns and his ear looking to be raw and bleeding, as he landed with his right arm fully extended with a meaty fist. "I'm a chunin of Konoha!"

Running through a few seals the large chunin took in a deep breathe as he brought his right hand up to his mouth before yelling, "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Gazing through blurry vision and a ringing in his ears due to the blow he had just taken Naruto barely saw the giant fireball bearing down upon him. Before the boy realized what was happening the massive flame slammed into him and began to engulf him.

Letting the jutsu die out the massive chunin watched as the fire he had created swirled and danced before him with a satisfied sneer upon his face. As the fire dissipated the man was surprised to see a blue ball of chakra engulfing his would be victim.

"So you used your chakra as a shield to defend against the heat and destruction of my flames, eh?" the man questioned as the young blond appeared as the chakra surrounding him faded.

Seeing the boy panting heavily the chunin commented with a harsh laugh, "That was an impressive idea, but it seems you neither have the control or an actual jutsu to create that defense. Now you realize your folly as you used up too much of your strength with that little trick."

Breathing hard as he supported his own weight by leaning over his katana, which was stuck blade first into the ground, Naruto silently thought, _"He's right, that defense was hasty and it's cost me. However, I'm not dead yet!"_

Bringing his left hand up to join his right hand the whiskered blond painfully forced his broken fingers to join his right hand in form a cross shape seal before exclaiming, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

As several clones of Naruto popped into existence the stunned chunin yelled, "Impossible, how could you know that technique?!"

"Practice asshole!" the gathered Narutos chorused as they settled into fighting positions.

"You really are a demon then," the man muttered as he brought his hands up to make a new set of seals as the air about him began to swirl. "I guess I'll have to use my best jutsu, Kaze no Yaiba!"

His left eye opening in surprise as his right had begun to swell shut from the hit he had taken earlier Naruto swore as the blades of wind struck his clones destroying them.

Reacting as fast as he could the Shugorei heir brought his sword up in the hope to block only to let out a scream as the blades of wind tore into him. Falling onto his side as his sword dropped from his hand the boy panted as he held onto life having managed to deflect the deadlier wind blades by infusing his katana with chakra.

Laying there as blood began to pool from his wounds Naruto felt a tingling sensation as crimson chakra began to pulse into his inner coils. Gritting his teeth the whiskered youth tried to suppress the flow knowing that he was in no condition to stop the berserk rampage that would occur should he give into the demonic power.

"_**Take…,"**_ a dark voice growled in a deep whisper into his mind as the chakra seemed to pulse and push forward slowly against his efforts to maintain control. _**"Live…Fight…Kill…Destroy!"**_

"_No, I can't, I won't," _Naruto mentally pleaded against he insistent feeling of dark power. _"Not again. Matron-baba, Hokage-jiisan, Jinjiro-hijiji! Please help me!"_

Trying hard as he began to panic at the thought of losing control and begging that one of the few people he trusted would arrive to save him from himself Naruto's sight began to color with a crimson haze.

"What's the matter demon, you ain't so tough now are you?!" the large, ugly chunin taunted with a sneer as he stepped over to Naruto's fallen form to deliver several swift kicks to the defenseless boy's gut and chest. "Guess I should do you a favor and put you out of my misery then!"

Gazing up at the man to see his own sword being raised to deliver the killing blow the almost twelve year old boy felt his vision fading as he made one final effort to push down the demonic influence and save himself. As the crimson in his vision began to be replaced by black shadow Naruto noted that time seemed to slow down as he watched the katana descending to take off his head.

"No!" Naruto exclaimed loudly as he found the strength to roll away at the last moment to avoid the slash.

Hearing a growl of frustration as he tried to push himself back up to continue his fight for survival Naruto made it to his knees and forced as much chakra to the index and middle fingers of his right hand as he could before pointing at the advancing chunin and shouting, "Byakurai!"

Watching the lance of light and electricity shoot out from his two fingers the young Shugorei grinned as he watched the beam strike the man in stomach and burn a hole out the other side. Feeling the bliss of unconsciousness pulling at him as his strength began to finally fail the boy couldn't help but wonder why he suddenly heard the chirping of birds as the collapsing chunin's chest seemed to explode.

Not noticing a hazy shadow standing over the fallen man Naruto grinned and thought, _"Gut shot that bastard. At least he'll die painfully from it considering the amount of energy I hit him with should paralyze him and cause him to bleed out."_

As that last thought crossed his mind the boy didn't notice a concerned voice yelling at him as strong arms lifted him up. Instead the blond, whiskered vessel was more concerned with the images he saw before letting the blackness take him as the faces of all those who he had met since returning to Konoha, those who seemed to care about him, burned into his mind.

* * *

**AN:**_ Yay new chapter!__ I am so glad to finally be able to post this update. Things have been really hectic for me lately as several of my research projects need to be revised as new data has become available that calls some of the original findings into question. As such this update is a bit late and the next may prove to be even later. Sorry, but the real world takes precedence. Anyways, I am thrilled to see the amount of feedback and hits this story has been getting. It's already at nearly 12,600 with 20 C2 postings, 68 favs, and 85 alerts. I guess it's starting to get popular, who knew. Thanks once again to all of you who take time to read my story and thanks to all of you who take the extra time to leave me some feedback in the review section. I never expected to do as well as have so thanks a lot and I hope you all enjoy this new chapter._

_**Tyrchon**_  
-,-


	10. Chapter 9: Someway Out of Here

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 9 – Someway Out of Here**_

* * *

The Konoha Hospital was abuzz as doctors, nurses, and medic-nins rushed about to tend to an influx of patients. A group of badly injured villagers had just come in and were now being treated in the high security medical ward. Most of the patients simply had badly broken bones and severe blunt-force trauma, requiring some simple medical procedures and jutsu to repair the damage they had incurred. However, two men were currently receiving major surgery in the hopes of saving their lives.

The first man was being frantically worked on by a large cluster of medical staff to salvage what was left of his skull and the brain that lay within considering his head had been bashed inwards by a heavy maul. With his skull having been smashed open the man had lost a tremendous amount of blood, not to mention that much of his brain had been reduced to a splattered paste. Despite their best efforts every one of the medical staff surrounding the man knew that the chances of the man surviving were at best slim and even if he did he would suffer from severe brain damage.

In another surgical room the second man was being worked on by just as many medical specialists. The man had taken the full force of a pitchfork to his central torso. The metal skewers had pierced through his musculature to hit several major organs including the liver which was causing the man to lose a tremendous amount of blood. Though his prognosis for survival was better than his companion the man would need to remain hospitalized for a several weeks as follow-up procedures were done to ensure that the surgery was successful and he made a full recovery.

While the work was truly fascinating in many senses it did not hold the interest of certain jounin leaning against a hallway wall outside a room being guarded by a pair of ANBU that were part of the security complement assigned to handle security at the hospital.

Glancing down at a small orange book that sat open in his right hand the elite ninja was a sight to behold. Wearing the standard Konoha jounin uniform the man complemented it with a pair of dark blue fingerless gloves with a metal plate on the back of each. What truly set the man apart was the fact that he wore a tight blue mask that obscured most of his nose and the entire lower part of his face. With his Konoha forehead protector circling around his large mess of grey hair and slanted on his head to cover his left eye the only part of the man's face that was visible was his bored looking right eye.

Letting out a small giggle as he flipped a page in his book Hatake Kakashi received a few curious glances from the hospital staff that had not actually met him before, though nearly everyone in Konoha knew him by reputation.

Kakashi was by many people's definition an enigma of a man. Often displaying an aloof and uninterested attitude the man barely seemed to notice the world about him even though he seemed friendly enough to the people that actually stopped and talked to him as he would make small talk and joke around with nearly anyone. Those who had actually worked with the man found that while this was a common trend for him such an attitude was replaced by a serious resolve once a mission got fully underway. Almost never seen without a copy of the orange Icha Icha Paradise books Kakashi was regarded as something of a pervert by many a kunoichi of Konoha even though he never seemed to try anything inappropriate with any of them or the female civilians. One major trait that had become legendary throughout Konoha was the man's constant tardiness, often arriving at his destination anywhere from half an hour to several hours late and always with some of the most outlandish excuses. Despite this he had gained a reputation for being one of the strongest jounins ever produced by Konoha and had several nicknames that spoke of his deadly skills.

Flipping another page of his book and raising his left hand up in front of his face the grey haired jounin let out another perverted giggle as a slight blush colored the skin below his exposed right eye. Seeing him reading such a book in a hospital corridor a passing nurse could not help but sigh as she felt her slight hero worship of the elite ninja get crushed.

While Kakashi did enjoy his Icha Icha Paradise almost religiously the nurse and anyone else who thought him fixated on the book at the moment would have been surprised to find themselves dead wrong. Past the scarlet blush and small giggles Hatake Kakashi's mind was quickly going over the events he had witnessed earlier in the evening and what he would be discussing with the Hokage once the old man arrived. Glancing away from his book for an unnoticeable moment the jounin let his only visible eye stare at the door leading to a hospital room where a young, blond boy covered in bandages slept peacefully.

"_The old man is going to have some major explaining to do,"_ the grey haired ninja thought as his eye narrowed and returned to gaze at the pages of his book before rising again to look down the corridor to see a small commotion making its way towards him. _"Speak of the devil."_

The Sandaime Hokage did not look to be a happy individual at the moment. Striding purposefully through the hallway the man gave only a few gestures and quick answers to the mass of hospital staff that were speaking to him. Coming to a halt just before reaching Kakashi, the old man gave a few short glances to the nearby ANBU who immediately began to herd away the medical personnel that had trailed behind their lord.

Stepping in front of the lone jounin as the hospital staff was guided back to their duties Sarutobi asked in a quiet yet strong voice, "Where is he?"

Shutting his book with a sharp clap the grey haired jounin pushed off the wall he had been leaning against to walk across the hallway to the door that had been guarded by the two ANBU. Opening the door the man stood to the side to let his superior pass before following behind him into the room. Shutting the door and locking it the jounin watched as the old Hokage moved to stand over the sleeping form of the boy who was lying in the only bed within the room.

"I want to know who did this and I want them found and brought before me," the aging leader said in a crisp tone that spoke volumes about the anger that was trying to burst forth from him. "Do you hear me Kakashi? I want them now!"

Letting out a small sigh the lone jounin spoke without his usual lazy tone, "It has already been done Hokage-sama."

Seeing his leader glance at him with barely concealed rage Kakashi continued, "Those responsible are being held in custody here as their wounds are tended to, though the person mainly responsible is now resting on a slab in the morgue. The ANBU have a few hunter teams searching for anyone who may have gotten away before I arrived."

Turning to face his subordinate as he nodded his approval the Hokage asked in a quieter tone, "Do we know what happened?"

"Not exactly, but I have a rough idea which will hopefully be confirmed once Naruto awakens," answered Kakashi in a calm voice as he looked at the blond just behind the Hokage. "I have been assured that his injuries are far from life threatening. Kenji-san was the primary and said that he would have a full report for you, though he did want me to mention that Naruto's healing properties took care of the majority of the damage once again."

Giving a small grunt the old Hokage ran through a series of familiar handseals to make sure nothing that was said would escape to anyone who happened to be passing by.

Finishing the sealing of the room Sarutobi spoke flatly, "Continue."

Giving a slight nod the one eyed jounin began, "I believe that Naruto was attacked first by a group of civilians. From the layout of the scene and the injuries that were incurred by them it seems that he easily dealt with them."

"You said there was someone in the morgue, Naruto didn't kill one of them did he?" the Hokage interrupted somberly as he turned to regard the sleeping boy.

"None of the villagers were killed by Naruto. He did do quite the number on them and two are receiving major life-saving surgery, but for the most part it seems that Naruto was not fighting with the intent to actually kill any of them," Kakashi stated as he moved to stand next to the Hokage. "The person in the morgue is a chunin that was attacking Naruto. I killed him when I arrived and saw him preparing to finish Naruto off, but he was going to die anyway from the final attack Naruto hit him with."

"Who was it?" inquired the Hokage with a small frown.

Giving a small shrug Kakashi replied in his normal lazy tone, "Some mid-level chunin, no one important."

Nodding in acceptance at the answer the Sandaime remarked, "Good. That means I will have little difficulty in dealing with the council when the time comes."

Seeing the calm look upon the Hokage's face Kakashi continued his explanation, "When I arrived I saw Naruto trying to stand back up from the last attack he had taken. As I moved to kill the chunin with my Raikiri, Naruto shot him with a beam of light and electricity. My attack destroyed the man's heart, but he was already dieing before that."

Noting the confused look that had appeared upon his superior's face the jounin prepared to explain further.

"The attack was a gut shot and severed the spine when it went through him. Even though the heat of the electricity partially cauterized the wound the man would have bled out quickly while laying there paralyzed," said Kakashi as he placed his hands in his pockets. "I've seen plenty of attacks before and though it was a sloppy, overpowered act of desperation I recognized what jutsu it was."

Cringing slightly the Hokage seemed to know what was coming as he moved to sit in a chair that ha been set at a table away from the bed. Settling into down the old man positioned himself to see a somewhat angry Hatake Kakashi and prepared himself to hear what he had been berating himself for ever since he had let Minato go off to fight the Kyuubi.

"You told me he was special, but that wasn't the full story was it? I should have recognized his features immediately when I saw him that first time so long ago," the grey haired jounin spoke coldly as he stared down at the Hokage. "You let me go around believing a lie when I should've known the truth; you had no right to…."

"To what?" interrupted the Hokage in frustration as Kakashi began to lose his cold tone and raise his voice. "What would you have done if you had known? You may be a genius ninja, but as a teenager and even now you are hardly the type of person who could take care of a child full time. I did what needed to be done to protect him and…."

"And a fine job you did of that!" Kakashi growled out loudly before the old man could finish. "If I remember correctly he was attacked several times in the past or have you forgotten that time we found him in the woods?!"

"Those…those were regrettable, but if people had known the truth he would have been an even bigger target and you know that," the Sandaime attempted to explain. "I couldn't risk it so I kept it all hidden from everyone, not just you."

"Everyone didn't need to know," retorted Kakashi coldly in protest. "I would have taken care of him, protected him. If not me then Jiraiya or even Tsunade would have!"

Seeing the look that crossed the old man's face as he mentioned those two names Kakashi's eye widened as he realized what it meant.

"You didn't even tell them?!" the flabbergasted jounin exclaimed.

Looking abashed as his actions were called into question Sarutobi spoke quietly, "I was preparing to recall and inform them when things seemed to be falling through, but Jinjiro returned before I could, so…."

"That's why Naruto seemed to disappear from the village all those years ago and how he now knows Byakurai…Jinjiro taught him!" the elite jounin realized loudly. "You sent him off to get trained by that maniac?! Gods in heaven why?!"

Letting out a sigh of frustration as the past was called up from its resting place Sarutobi spoke in a tired voice, "Jinjiro is the closest blood relative Naruto has and at the time it seemed appropriate that he should be the one to teach him."

Leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees the Hokage added an unnoticeable lie, "Naruto has returned to Konoha per an arrangement I made with Jinjiro just before he took Naruto to train. While Jinjiro has not returned with him that doesn't mean his influence is something I or Naruto can ignore."

"That still doesn't explain why you couldn't have gotten Jiraiya or Tsunade to…," the young, grey haired man began before being interrupted by the Hokage.

"Both of them, like you, were too mired in there own depression to do what was needed. You and Jiraiya devoted yourself to your work and your little eccentricities to deal with the pain. Tsunade has slipped further into her gambling and drinking habits," added the Sandaime in explanation. "Only Jinjiro offered the possibility of a stable environment for Naruto to grow in."

Rising up from his chair and moving back over to Naruto's bedside the Hokage continued to speak in his tired voice, "It may have been that informing you all would have been better, but what's done is done. I can't take it back and even if I could I would most likely still make the same decision."

Staring at the back of the man who led Konoha the one eyed jounin remarked in a strong tone, "Give him to me."

"What?" asked the Hokage in confusion.

"I can take him on as my apprentice like Minato-sensei did for me after, after my father…," trailed off Kakashi before steadying his resolve. "I have been completing jounin duties since leaving my position as ANBU Captain and you wanted me to take on genin, so…."

"No," responded the old Hokage as he interrupted Kakashi's reasoning. "Naruto will remain at the Academy and graduate like the others in his class. What do you think would happen if word got out you were teaching him? You told the council that you wouldn't train Sasuke until he graduated from the Academy. If you were to take on Naruto instead it would raise too many questions about it all."

"But what about," Kakashi tried to protest the decision before falling silent under the gaze of the Hokage.

Staring into the one visible eye of the jounin Sarutobi firmly said, "I will not forbid you from meeting with Naruto as I am not in the habit of giving orders that I know will not be followed. However, you may not take him on as an apprentice and you may not interfere with his education at the Academy. You have other duties that require your diligence. Do I make myself clear Kakashi?"

"Hai," agreed the jounin in a tone that was a mix of his anger, frustration, and confusion. "However, I want him on my genin team when the Academy has graduation in the spring."

"You've already promised the council to take on Sasuke once he graduates," slowly remarked the Sandaime. "Placing them on the same team would defy the type of balance we try to encourage."

"Some could say that about the genin team you once taught," retorted the jounin with a hint of sarcasm to his voice.

"And look what happened to them," Sarutobi said in a somber whisper before seeing that Kakashi wasn't going to let the issue go. "I will consider it, but I make no promises."

"Very well," concluded Kakashi as he looked to Naruto's sleeping form. "What about informing Jiraiya and Tsunade?"

"When the time is right they will know, but not before," spoke the old man in a tone that told Kakashi not to press the issue. "Is there anything else?"

"Iie, there is nothing else to say Hokage-sama," spoke the jounin in a growl that conveyed his unhappiness at the decisions that had been made regarding Naruto.

Giving a small nod the Hokage moved to leave before stopping and saying, "I would advise you to not get too involved at the moment Kakashi. Naruto is just starting to get used to socializing with new people in Konoha and acting like a boy his age should. He has made some progress at the Academy and I am hoping the Iruka will help to improve that progress. Trying to press anything onto him would not help the situation; he has to decide things for himself. Also, Jinjiro passed on some of his feelings towards Minato to Naruto. While I do not believe that Naruto truly holds anything against his father it is a sore subject for him. Pressing the issue has proven to be counterproductive, so be careful with what you say."

Not taking his gaze off of the sleeping blond that resembled the man who had been a second father to him, Kakashi did not bother to say anything as the Hokage finished unsealing the room and stepping out of the door.

* * *

Darkness, it was like swimming in any endless sea of midnight or that was at least the feeling Naruto received as he felt himself suspended in the nothingness of the surrounding ether. Having gone unconscious from the wounds he had received the young boy was unsure of what was going on outside his own mind or if he was even alive anymore.

Naruto let himself float aimlessly in the void despite the fact that he couldn't even see his own body, only sensing that he still had limbs. When he had first taken notice of where he now was the whiskered Shugorei had attempted to discover where exactly he was. However, despite his attempts at swimming or flying, depending on how one looked at the situation, he had merely felt himself grow bored as he seemed to go nowhere fast. It seemed that with not features except black space surrounding him, Naruto had no way to tell if his efforts had actually caused him to move. Adding to the problem was the fact there was no way of gauging time within this dark world. For all the young blond knew he could have been here for merely a few seconds or even a few years.

"Hmm, I've been unconscious before, but I've never experienced anything like this," the blond boy remarked unsure if he was simply thinking or actually speaking. "Something better happen soon or I'm going to be torn between feeling bored out of my mind and pissed to hell."

There is an age old adage that says 'Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it'. Ironically this seemed to apply to the Shugorei heir for as his statement finished his whole sense of self was assaulted by a cacophony of light and sound.

"From shadow were we formed, the blessed of the Shinigami," boomed a large, bald man standing in what appeared to be ancient, black armor.

Flashing away the man was replaced with the face of a beautiful, black haired woman who seemed to cry tears of blood as she softly said, "We bleed to set right our honor."

"Glory and honor, death and blood, is this truly our path," came the wheezing cough of an middle-aged man who seemed to be more bones than flesh lying on a straw pallet as he replaced the woman only to be replaced in turn.

"Corruption…tradition…weakness…strength…the beginning…the end," chorused a pair of silvery haired twins clutching at wounds that seemed to bleed without end.

Letting loose a silent scream as the images and voices intensified and rushed at him, Naruto could not label the feeling he was now experiencing as the voices and images swirled about him. At first he felt lighter than air only to be crushed down as if the whole world suddenly decided to rest upon him. He felt thin as if he had all that was within him squeezed out only to suddenly experience the sensation of preparing to burst. At one point he was at the highest point only to be dropped like a single drop of rain into an empty bucket when he was next experiencing as if he was surrounded by thousands upon thousands of himself. All the while the voices and images continued to play about him with cryptic words and unknown faces.

Trying to curl in on himself to avoid the feelings and images Naruto felt the world he was in come crashing to a halt as a new image appeared. This time the blond Shugorei recognized who stood before him.

A wizened Sandaime quietly smiled and spoke softly, "A powerful ally is 'The Will of Fire' as strength comes not from us alone but those who surround us."

Staring at the man as he repeated the words again and again Naruto began to notice other recognizable faces forming around the old man and taking up the chant. To one side stood the old matron while on the other stood Teuchi and Ayame as their voices joined with the Hokage's.

"What's going on?" demanded Naruto as he began to focus now that some degree of stability had formed.

Kiba and Sakura, Shino and Hinata formed on either side of the growing group. Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino soon appeared to stand with the others as the voices began to echo through the whiskered boy's mind.

"What do you want from me?!" the blond yelled as the chanting began to grow louder as the group began to encircle him.

"Strength comes from those around us, 'The Will of Fire'," stated the figure of Iruka who had materialized to complete the small circle surrounding the blond as a new chorus was taken up.

Spinning about the blond felt himself growing frantic as he exclaimed, "No, answer me! Tell me what it is that I need to know!"

Coming to a halt as the voices all stopped the chant they had taken up Naruto felt an unease touch his very core. Glancing about rapidly he waited for whatever was to come.

"Who are you?" asked Kiba and Shino calmly as they began to fade away.

"What?" growled Naruto in confusion as he looked to the spots where the two had been standing. "I'm Naruto, son of Shugorei Kushina and heir to Clan Shugorei."

"What do you want?" asked Teuchi and Ayame in the same neutral tone as Naruto finished his answer before they too faded away.

"I want to become the best, the strongest," the blond stated loudly as he regarded those remaining in the broken circle.

"Where is it you are going?" asked Hinata, Ino, and Sakura in harmony as they disappeared from Naruto's vision.

"What kind of question is that?" the Shugorei heir inquired with frustration while throwing glances back and forth to those who remained. "I go where I want, when I want."

"Whom do you serve?" asked Shikamaru and Chouji before following the others who had spoken into nothingness.

"I am Shugorei, I serve no one!" shouted Naruto as he defiantly straightened himself to stand tall before the three remaining shades

"Whom do you trust?" came the concerned voices of the Sandaime, the Matron, and Iruka before they faded to leave Naruto alone in the void.

"I…," the whiskered blond began before failing as his mind became troubled by the question and the possibilities for answering.

Staring off into the now empty darkness Naruto answered honestly in a soft voice, "I don't know."

"Then what shall you do?" a strong voice stated from behind the blond.

Turning to face the voice the Shugorei heir found himself facing the figure of Danzou. Despite seeing the man the whiskered boy was unsure once again of how to answer and remained silent.

As silence reigned in the black void the figure of Danzou began to shift as his features changed. Staring as the transformation finished Naruto found himself staring at the stern features of Shugorei Jinjiro.

"So then, you will do nothing?" the image of Jinjiro inquired in a slow, disappointed tone before letting his voice take on a harsh edge. "Apathy is death, worse then death. At least a corpse feeds the beasts and insects."

Feeling the hard gaze of the steely eyes boring through him and causing him shame Naruto remembered when he had first heard those words. Back when he had been unsure in a lesson of whether to answer or not for fearing that he may prove to be wrong. Jinjiro had been far angrier about that refusal to answer than any wrong answer that Naruto had ever given. On that day the young Shugorei had learned that what wasn't said and what wasn't done could have far greater consequences than what was said and what was done. Bowing his head in shame at repeating the event Naruto missed Jinjiro fading away.

Standing alone amidst the endless darkness Naruto suddenly felt a weight upon either of his shoulders. Looking to where the source of the feeling was coming from the young blond found himself staring at the smiling faces of a red haired woman and a blond haired man. Though he had never truly met them the boy easily recognized the two as being Shugorei Kushina and Namikaze Minato, his parents. The simple smiles on the faces of the two and the small gesture of comfort that came from their hands upon his shoulders filled the young boy with a feeling that he had never truly realized before. In that moment all the problems, all the troubles, all the misgivings and misconceptions seemed to melt away as the three stood together as they should have if not for a singular event.

Hoping to remain in such a state for as long as he could Naruto found himself disappointed as he suddenly seemed to be falling away from the two. Amidst shouts of protest the blond lost sight of the faces he longed to see as he seemed to fall for ages. Feeling the darkness of the void engulfing him once again, the blond came to a halt as he landed amidst a shallow pool of water.

Finding his feet Naruto stood on a hard stone floor as water lapped at his ankles. Looking about to see where he was the whiskered boy found recognition dawning upon him as he took in the stone walls, the yellow lighting, the vast piping network, and finally the large gates that stood locked by the symbol for seal. He had been here before, it was the prison of the Kyuubi no Youko.

Staring at the darkness that lay behind the large gates Naruto soon found his gaze met by a large pair of slit, crimson eyes that seemed to float over a large, grinning maw of fine, white teeth. Unnerved that the eyes seemed to be staring back at him the blond felt even more uncomfortable when he caught the stench of death and rotting flesh roll over him as a dark laughter seemed to permeate from the inhabitant of the cell.

"You're the one responsible for all of this!" accused the whiskered blond as he pointed towards the large gates. "It's all your fault!"

"**Perhaps,"** the voice of the Kyuubi no Youko rolled forward from the darkness.**"Though it seems you are having an attack of conscience, but I could be wrong for what do we demons care about something as pathetic as guilt. We take what we want and do what we will. Ours is an unlimited freedom wouldn't you agree little one?"**

"I am nothing like you," Naruto intoned solemnly in a cold voice as he glared with hate at the monster that was imprisoned within him.

"**So you say,"** the great bijuu stated with a barking, chuckle.

Growing angrier at the sarcasm that dripped from the demon's voice the Shugorei heir replied in a deep growl, "I have no desire to play games with you. Why did you bring me here?"

"**Me?"** the Nine-tailed Beast replied. **"You are mistaken. I did not bring you here, you came of your own accord."**

"What?" Naruto responded in confusion as he caught the insidious laughter of the demon and the putrid stench that came from its breath.

"**It has been quite some time since you were last here young one,"** spoke the demon as its deep voice reverberated off of the surrounding walls. **"Have you finally decided to let me end you existence? No? Then perhaps you have come to beg me for my power so you may lay waste to your enemies."**

Seeing the crimson chakra of the Kyuubi dancing wildly, almost as if it were anticipating and lusting for Naruto to use it, the whiskered boy shouted firmly, "Like I would ever want your power you stupid fox!"

Letting forth another dark laugh the Kyuubi spoke in a dubious tone, **"Are you so certain? You've already had tastes of what I could give you."**

Images of the slaughter Naruto had committed when he had been traveling with Jinjiro played as reflections on the water that surrounded his feet.

"**Was it not wonderful, the feeling and taste of their blood as you tore through them?"** the great bijuu said as the images lingered upon the gleeful face of berserk boy. **"You seemed to enjoy it and that was not even a fraction of what I could offer you."**

"You have nothing I want," reaffirmed Naruto as his tongue seemed to recall the coppery taste of blood as the images shifted to show him biting down onto the throat of one of the bandits who had attacked him.

"**Are you so certain?"** inquired the caged beast. **"You desire power and strength; I am an embodiment of the ultimate peak of such things."**

"An embodiment that got defeated and trapped within the belly of a newborn infant," countered Shugorei heir as he summoned up an image of the Nine-tailed Fox being beaten by a blond man riding upon a giant, red toad as black armored warriors stood proudly about the battlefield.

"**Oh that isn't correct,"** retorted the beast as the image transformed to show a battlefield where the armored warriors lay dead amongst many other corpses, where the giant toad disappeared in an explosion of smoke, and the form of the blond man plummeted only to hit the ground with a meaty thwack.**"Ah, there we are. If you want to remember things or remind someone of them you should really strive for accuracy little one."**

Trying to avoid the images as the demon chuckled Naruto turned his head only to see the demonic chakra forming into a new shape. Unable to tear his eyes away the blond watched as a depiction of himself was suddenly embraced by what looked to be his mother, father, and great-grandfather.

"**I could recreate what you long for here in your mind,"** tempted Kyuubi as the scene shifted to Naruto and his parents standing in front of a pristine Shugorei compound as Jinjiro welcomed them. **"You would never lose them and all I ask for in return is that you set me free."**

"Never,"resolved Naruto in a whisper as he shut his eyes to avoid the tears that wanted to fall.

"**I wonder what's worse, lying to me or lying to yourself?"** the Kyuubi stated as Naruto's eyes snapped open to stare at the crimson eyes and toothy grin that stood out amidst the dark cell.

"I'll never set you free!" shouted the blond boy at the massive beast imprisoned behind the gates. "I don't want your power and I never will!"

Giving another laugh the Kyuubi's eyes bore through the whiskered youth as he responded, **"So sure are you, shall we test that resolve?"**

Confused by the remark Naruto was suddenly horrified to see the crimson chakra begin moving towards him.

Backing away from the tendrils the blond Shugorei yelled, "No! Stay away from me"

Unlike when he had first met the Kyuubi when he was five Naruto's protests did not seem to stop the demonic chakra that was flowing towards him, it didn't even seem to slow it down.

"**That little trick won't work anymore kit,"** the Kyuubi no Youko said as its eyes seemed to glow brighter. **"You've already tasted my power and deep down you desire it. You call to it and it calls to you. Why struggle against what is inevitable?"**

"But I saved those foxes!" Naruto tried to reason and buy time to find a way to escape.

"**And what do I care about something like that,"** the demon responded as the chakra continued to move forward. **"I may be a fox, but those weaklings mean nothing to one as great as I."**

Stumbling back into the far wall of the room Naruto watched as the chakra continued to advance upon him. Shutting his eyes and trying to use his will to push back the boy suddenly felt a pressure on the center of his forehead. Looking up he found a hand attached to a large, shadowed figure was the source of the feeling.

"_**It is time for you to leave Naruto,"**_ came a gruff voice that was recognizable to the blond.

"Wait your…," the young blond began as he took in the details of his savior.

As the yellow light touched the figure Naruto's eyes widened at the large, muscled figure that stood before him. Black tabi adorned its feet and had the crisscrossing of the traditional waraji sandals that the Shugorei favored over the modern shinobi sandals. Black sashinuki hakama seemed to connect to the tabi as they tightened around the ankle with a tied off cord. Continuing the tighten affect around the shin were a set of silvery steel guards that caused the pants to blouse out around the area of the knee. Though the sashinuki hakama were a midnight black a silvery pattern depicting fighting warriors flashed out as the folds of cloth shifted. Holding the pants tight around figure were a set of tightly tied cloth belts of the same color and pattern as the hakama with folded paper streamers, similar to those found at temples, hanging from them as the circled the waist. The upper torso of the figure was bare of clothing or at least that was what thought as the bulky muscled skin was a dark gray with red kanji seals inscribed into it. The only decoration other than the kanji was a white, braided silk rope that circle over the shoulders and under the armpits to tie somewhere behind the figure.

The head of the figure was an intricately designed, obsidian demon mask outlined with silver and a large set of spiked horns pushing out and forward from where the temples should have been. The chin stood as a sharp point of metal and the mouth of the mask had the outline of teeth complete with a set of short fangs on both the top and bottom. Staring deeply into the mask Naruto noted that it opened to a black void where the eyes and mouth should have been. Contrasting with the darkness of the mask was the mass of long, spiky platinum hair that pushed out to obscure anything that may have existed around the mask and fell over the shoulders and onto the upper portion of the chest.

Looking to where the large figure was touching his forehead with its outstretched pointer finger from its right hand Naruto noted that the finger, hand, and forearm were encased in an armored glove. The main part of the glove was midnight black leather that matched the figure's hakama. Blackened, steel armor plate covered the top of the forearm from the elbow to the wrist as the leather joined it from where it covered the underside of the forearm. Three platinum ridges ran parallel down the length of the armor on the forearm its length. At the wrist the dark armor met an articulated set of armored plates outlined in with the same silvery-white color of the ridges that had ran its length. Intricately joined together the armored pieces covered the back of the figure's hand and fingers ending in a small set of pointed claws at the tips.

Shifting his focus slightly the young Shugorei noticed a matching gauntlet covered the lower part of the figure's left arm.

Trying to untangle his tongue and command his voice to speak Naruto could not utter a single word before he was interrupted by the demonic looking warrior.

"_**We will have another time to speak,"**_ the form of Naruto's Zanpakuto said in its gruff voice as the whiskered Shugorei was forced from his mental plane.

Standing over the spot where his creator had been the Zanpakuto turned to see the demonic chakra had halted its advance.

"**So you think you can protect him from me do you?"** boomed the voice of the Kyuubi as it stared down at the entity that stood calmly before it.

"_**He will control you once again demon make no mistake of that**__,"_ fired back the soul. _**"And then you will serve him just as I do."**_

"**Foolish little tool,"** the demonic fox reprimanded with a sinister chuckle as its chakra began to form into a wave to rollover the intruding soul. **"I will consume you just as I will consume him and then you shall both serve me after I have broken you."**

As the wave of chakra crashed down the Kyuubi felt its rage peak as the warrior disappeared in a flash.

"_**Your faith in your power will be your undoing,"**_ the disembodied voice of Naruto's Zanpakuto echoed about the walls of the room. _**"You should distinctly remember that pride comes before the fall."**_

Finding that it was alone once again in its sewer like prison, the demon uttered a string of curses from an ancient tongue that had been heard by no mortal before. Continuing its curses the crimson light and chakra of the Kyuubi faded back into the blackness of the cell as the bijuu dwelled upon its missed attempt and planned for the future.

* * *

Bolting up from where he had been laying in the hospital bed Shugorei/Uzumaki Naruto felt a wave of nausea sweep over him. Leaning over the side he quickly discovered a metal bedpan and proceeded to regurgitate the contents of his stomach. Considering he had been unconscious for quite sometime and had been on an intravenous drip all that he managed to get out was a mixture of bile and stomach acid that burned at his throat. Coughing hard as he dry heaved several times Naruto felt a hand touch his back and comfortingly pat him as a second hand steadied the bedpan that was shaking in his twitching grip as his muscles fired sporadically from the sudden sensory overload of his mind coming back to full consciousness so quickly.

"Easy there, you've recovered from quite the skirmish," stated Hatake Kakashi calmly as his visible eye seemed to convey his concern to the confused blond that gazed at him through bleary eyes.

"Who…," croaked out the blond in a guttural tone as his throat was too dry to utter anything more.

Taking the bed pan and setting it down Kakashi used his right hand, the one he had been resting on the boy's back, to grab a cup of water that had been next to a pitcher left on the small stand next to the bed. Presenting the cup the jounin watched as the blond took several sips.

"_Hmm, the nurses were right about his need to get something to drink once he awoke," _Kakashi silently noted as the boy in front of him slowly drained the cup. _"If only they could do something about the food now."_

Feeling his mouth and throat returning to normal from the water despite the light bad taste and burning sensation that reminded him of having just vomited, Naruto looked at the jounin that had settled back into a chair that had been pulled up next to his bed while noticing the small line that went up from his arm into a hanging pouch of clear liquid over the bed.

"Hmm, you've probably got a half-a-dozen questions right now so I guess I should fill you in on everything while you take another drink," the young, grey haired man stated lazily as he refilled Naruto's cup.

Placing the pitcher of water back on the stand Kakashi took on a thoughtful pose as he said, "Now where exactly do I begin?"

Nearly spilling his water as he almost fell out of the bed at the nonchalant attitude of the man Naruto coughed out, "The beginning would be nice."

"Well I don't think we have enough time for me to relate how the universe came into being, but if that's what you want?" the jounin deadpanned in his small thinking pose as the right eye of the young blond began to twitch in annoyance. "Oh wait, you meant the beginning of what is going on here, sorry my mistake."

At a loss for words at the attitude of the man sitting next to his bed the blond Shugorei could only think, _"Where the hell is Hokage-jiji and why do I have this nut sitting here?"_

Cutting through the boy's thoughts Kakashi took on a serious expression as he said, "You just called me crazy, didn't you?"

Trying not to convey his surprise at the fact that the jounin had seemed to catch his thoughts Naruto simply stared as he silently remarked,_"What the hell?"_

"Just fooling with you," the one eyed man said as his mood did a complete turn around as his eye seemed to close and turn upwards to convey the fact that he was smiling at his little joke.

Blinking in confusion a few times at the odd nature of the jounin Naruto realized who exactly it was who was talking to him.

"Why are you here Hatake-san?" questioned the young blond as he sipped at his water a bit more.

"Oh, you know who I am," remarked Kakashi as he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head with is hand. "That makes things a bit easier then, I was a bit worried that I'd have to make some long winded introduction or something."

Hearing the grey haired jounin chuckling at his own statement Naruto let a bead of sweat roll down his head as he thought, _"Yep, he's definitely as nutty as Jinjiro-hijiji always said."_

"Anyways," the jounin said as he continued in a happy tone, unaware of Naruto's thoughts. "I was walking home the other night after fighting a bunch of old ladies who wanted to try and take away my mask and replace it with a duck when suddenly I got chased by some hungry bears. Luckily they chased me right to where you were and I was able to make sure that chunin you were fighting didn't recover to finish you off."

"_Old ladies, his mask, a duck, and bears? Oh yeah, he's definitely a nut,"_ Naruto silently contemplated as he stared at the relaxed jounin.

"None of that's true is it?" the blond deadpanned as he thought of how he could try and get away from the crazy, former-student of his father.

Looking a bit hurt that his explanation hadn't been accepted Kakashi replied, "You really think I would make up something like that?"

"Do you really want an answer to that question?" Naruto responded rhetorically. "I thought you were going to tell me what's going on."

"Ah yes, well then…you're currently in the hospital because Hokage-sama and I were a bit worried about you considering you got injured pretty badly," the one eyed man said as he coughed lightly into his hand. "Though it appears your little tenant took care of it all once again."

"My tenant? Oh right, him" responded Naruto with an uneasy laugh. "I guess there are some benefits to having him."

Before he could get away from the subject of the Fox, considering he was still disturbed by what had happened within his mind, Naruto suddenly felt the room go cold. Looking to the jounin sitting near his bed the Shugorei heir grew nervous as the man had switched to being deadly serious and was now giving him a hard, one eyed stare.

"I would think you'd be a bit more concerned Naruto," the grey haired jounin sad firmly. "This wasn't the first time you've had the Kyuubi keep you alive and heal you completely. I was there when you almost died just before your birthday when you were younger. Don't play this off as if nothing happened. No one knows what might happen if you continue to get healed by the demon and it would be wise not to think yourself invincible just because it can heal even the most terrible wounds. Everything has its price."

Kakashi's words struck the blond as his thoughts went back to what had occurred within the confines of his mind before he had been pushed out by his Zanpakuto's soul.

"_I couldn't force his chakra back,"_ the blond mentally worried as his hands tightened their grip on the sheets of the bed. _"The Fox said it was because I desire his power, to be like him. It can't be true, can it?"_

With doubt filled Naruto as he played back over all that he could remember about what he had experienced while unconscious. He thought of the people he had seen both those he had recognized and those he hadn't, as well as what they had been saying. Trying to puzzle out what it all meant the blond suddenly remembered the feeling of a slight pressure touching his forehead and a demonic looking samurai standing before him.

"_That's right,"_ perked up Naruto at the realization. _"I did it, I finally saw the embodiment of my Zanpakuto's soul!"_

Watching the eyes of the silent, blond boy light up after he had been looking depressed and had been staring at the sheets he was gripping tightly Kakashi felt a bit of worry crop up in his own mind.

Reaching a hand out in front of the boy's face the jounin waved and snapped his fingers a few times as he said, "Yo, you okay kid. Do you need a nurse or something?"

"Gahh!" Naruto exclaimed as he fell back a bit in the bed at having been surprised by the jounin.

Sitting back up the whiskered, Shugorei turned Uzumaki replied with a shaky smile as he raised his hands slightly and said, "No, no that's…that's alright I was just thinking hard about what you said."

"Yare, Yare," Kakashi said dismissively. "Well I guess that's good, wouldn't want you to disappoint all of your friends and let their efforts go to waste."

"Friends?" the blond questioned before seeing the jounin point to a spot behind him.

Turning his head Naruto let out a little gasp at what he saw.

Sitting on a table before the room's large window was a mixture of cards, flowers, balloons, and even fruit basket.

Seeing the confusion playing on the young Shugorei's face Kakashi explained, "You've been unconscious for the last three days. While some people know the truth about what happened to you the Hokage is covering it up with the story about a missing-nin who was attempting to infiltrate the village by posing as the chunin who attacked you. The story has been carefully leaked and a couple people came over here to leave some get well wishes."

As he heard the explanation Naruto had shifted out of the bed slightly to grab the cards. Some of them looked as if they had been purchased at a store while others appeared to be handmade. Flipping through each the blond demon vessel felt an unknown ache creep into his chest as he read the wishes in each. Each was unique in its own little way, from Shikamaru's lazy handwriting and message about playing some Shougi to Kiba's quickly scribbled note about how he was growing stronger and wanted a spar with Naruto once the hospital released him. Shino's card was an intricately folded piece of origami in the shape of a bug with the kanji for health inlayed on its surfaces. The bright card that Chouji had gotten for him had a promise of going out for barbeque sometime. Both Ino and Sakura had written out cute little cards with the normal, cute flowers, star, and hearts amidst the hopes of him feeling better soon. Hinata's card lacked these 'girly' aspects, though it did have a few scribbles inside from where the shy girl seemed to be unsure of what she wanted to say. A card from Ayame and Teuchi had a coupon for a free 'Deluxe' dinner in it with the note that it was to help him regain his strength.

"_I've been such a bastard,"_ the blond silently recognized as guilt hit him over the fact that he hadn't really been a person who deserved such treatment, let alone the right to be called a friend.

"_**Finally you get it through that thick head of yours!"**_ came the gruff shout of a familiar inner voice. _**"Gods are you slow sometimes."**_

"_Hey come on! Aren't you supposed to be supportive?"_ Naruto mentally protested.

"_**I've been trying to point shit out to you for quite some time,"**_ the Zanpakuto remarked in a frustrated tone. _**"With that and a few other things I'd have to say I've been pretty damn supportive."**_

Thinking back on the different conversations, well arguments in some senses, and what had occurred in the Kyuubi's cell Naruto replied softly, "Yeah I guess your right."

"Well I'm glad to hear that," chirped Hatake Kakashi who had broken out his little, orange book while the blond had been examining his cards. "Now what exactly was I right about?"

"_**I told you about being careful when trying to speak to me,"**_ the voice of the soul said with a laugh as it faded back into the recesses of the Shugorei heir's mind.

"Umm, well I wasn't really talking to you," the young, whiskered boy said with a look of embarrassment.

"Ah, talking to your Zanpakuto I see," the jounin playfully remarked as he flipped a page of his book.

"Yeah, wait. How did you…?" trailed off the confused boy as he caught the man's response.

"I'm Hatake Kakashi an elite jounin of Konoha. I was apprenticed to your father and knew your mother and her family pretty well," the one eyed man said neutrally as he focused his gaze back onto his book. "I know things."

"Is that why you're here now?" Naruto asked with a hint of suspicion riding his voice.

Snapping his book shut Kakashi let out a sigh as he leaned back into his chair under the gaze of the boy who reminded him so much of the man who had been like family to him.

"I'd be lying if I said that those reasons weren't part of my concern," the man replied as he crossed his arms and slouched slightly. "I didn't even know exactly who you were until I saw you use the Byakurai, but once I saw it things just clicked together. Part of me always hoped that the Hokage had been wrong about you dieing with your mother and he only told me after I brought you here the other night."

Feeling the boy's gaze on him the normally aloof jounin continued, "When he confirmed everything I was furious about not having been told originally. I wanted to take you on as my apprentice, but he forbad me from doing so because it would place you into a position where too many people would start asking questions. I now recognize that he was thinking far more rationally than I was at the time."

"So what do you want then?" the Shugorei turned Uzumaki asked quietly.

"Nothing," Kakashi stated calmly as he uncrossed his arms and stood up from the chair. "I owe your father and mother a lot, but at the same time I can see you're pretty independent and don't want to be coddled. I'll help you out if you want and I will keep an eye on you to make sure things are okay, but anything else is up to you."

Finishing with those words Kakashi waited to hear how the boy sitting on the edge of the hospital bed would respond. Part of him held some trepidation that the boy would get angry and try to push him away while another part held a similar worry that he would end up as a crutch for the young, developing shinobi.

Unaware of how Kakashi was feeling Naruto was experiencing his own mixed feelings. On one hand the blond respected the man as a strong shinobi and the fact that he wasn't trying to impose himself into his life. On the other hand the whiskered Shugorei was unsure about if he liked the idea of having someone trying to keep tabs on him.

"Well I guess there's no harm in talking to you from time to time," Naruto decide as he took on a stubborn look that showed how much of a kid he still was. "But you better not try anything funny! Hokage-jiji is always going on about how I need to be more social with people and open with them, but I think I'm fine just the way I am, hmmph!"

Hearing the response the grey haired jounin let his eye do its mysterious little upturn to show the smile that lay hidden beneath his mask.

"Well then with that settled I guess I should wish you a 'Happy Birthday' Naruto," the man said as he pulled out square item wrapped in shiny, blue paper from seemingly nowhere.

"Eh?" the boy responded in confusion as he saw the present.

"As I said before you've been unconscious for three days. It's the afternoon of October tenth, your birthday if I recall correctly," supplied the jounin as he extended the gift out over the bed to the boy. "Traditionally people receive presents to mark such occasions."

Accepting the small, square gift Naruto began to slit open the paper and fold it neatly on the bed as he took out the item that lay underneath.

"You know most kids and people would simply tear the paper off and toss it away," Kakashi said with a small drip of sweat on his brow.

"I don't get many gifts so I like to save the wrappings to remind me of the person who gave it to me," Naruto commented as he looked towards the man who had given him the gift before taking on a mischievous, toothy grin. "Besides, it's my birthday so my rules."

Giving a small laugh at the remark the jounin watched as Naruto removed the final piece of paper over the gift.

Looking at the item Naruto found himself gazing at the back of a wooden picture frame, turning it over the young blond let out a barely noticeable gasp as he saw the picture that was mounted in it. The picture showed a smiling blond man wearing a jounin uniform with a white coat with orange flames licking up from the edges. Next to him was an equally happy looking woman with long red hair wearing a black maternity dress with a white, high collared, sleeveless shirt underneath. What was even more noticeable was the fact that the two had their hands placed on the woman's swollen belly that pushed at the cloth of the dark dress.

"Minato-sensei and Kushina-sama were so happy when they told me that they were expecting a baby," Kakashi stated in a soft voice that held a bit of regret and pain mixed with hope and pride. "They wanted to keep things quiet so only close family members and friends knew. I took that picture when your mother was six months pregnant and your father was preparing to leave for a few days to meet with the Yondaime Kazekage to hammer out some details on a non-aggression pact that led to the military alliance we have with Sunagakure now."

While neither extravagant nor tacky the picture struck a chord within Naruto. The boy had most of the pictures that had been in his Hijiji's collection, but the old man hadn't had that many of his parents together. Jinjiro hadn't kept well in touch with his clan and his granddaughter after his exile, so what photos he did have had been from before Minato and Kushina had married. With the destruction of the Shugorei compound and the home that had been built near it for the couple most of those photos had been lost. For the most part Naruto didn't have many pictures of his father at all, except a few that showed him as the Yondaime and not as the man who was a husband and expectant father. In a way it made the blond start to reconsider what he had been told about the man by Jinjiro.

"Do you…do you have other photos of them?" hesitantly asked the blond as he traced a finger over the glass to rest on where his parents hands were meeting on his mother's belly.

Moving to sit on the opposite side of the hospital bed Kakashi reached a hand across to rub the whiskered blonde's shoulder.

"I do, as do others. I'm sure you'll get to see them all and I'll have some copies made up for you of my own," the jounin said with a comforting smile under his mask. "However, today is a time for you to enjoy life and not dwell on the past, so let's get you out of here."

Giving a small laugh to bolster himself Naruto nodded before he reached over to his arm to pull out the drip line that had been placed into his arm.

"Wait, don't…" Kakashi began to say before he turned slightly green at seeing the needle of the intravenous drip pulled out by the boy.

Able to deal with deadly enemy shinobi and the brutal combat lifestyle that went along with his profession Hatake Kakashi had only a few things that disturbed him and could be labeled as fears. Number one on that list was seeing Maito Gai dancing in a green thong. The image of the drunken Taijutsu specialist at one of the parties that were held often at the local shinobi bars would haunt the grey haired jounin 'til the day he died. Next on the list, and far less disturbing to the general public of Konoha, were needles. Ever since he had been a young child Kakashi had always felt queasy about them and hated the idea of being stuck with them.

Dabbing away the small trickle of blood that came from his forceful removal of the medical implement Naruto looked over to his new acquaintance with an upturned eyebrow in confusion.

Coughing lightly to hide his uneasiness at the fact that the boy had ripped the needle out Kakashi remarked, "Um, while I do like your enthusiasm for wanting to get out of here, don't you think you need some actual clothes?"

Looking down at himself and realizing for the first time that he was wearing the paper pajamas that hospitals provided instead of his own clothes Naruto let out a startled shout.

Trying to calm the young blond down as he frantically searched for his clothing to replace the hospital garb Kakashi could only think on how alike Naruto was to his parents.

* * *

Walking down the main street of Konoha as evening fell and the festival surrounding the Kyuubi's defeat moved into full swing, pulsing about them in an excited frenzy, was a strange trio consisting of one Hatake Kakashi, one Umino Iruka, and one Uzumaki/Shugorei Naruto.

Naruto had finally gotten a new set of clothes that matched the ones he had been wearing the night he had fought the rogue chunin after Kakashi had left the hospital to go to the Shugorei compound for Naruto. From what the blond understood from the grumbling of the elite jounin the man had not had the most pleasant experience with trying to get HK-47 to give him some clothing that would replace the destroyed set that Naruto had been wearing during his fight. While the hidden Shugorei heir did laugh a bit to himself and noted he needed to ask HK what actually happened he was very glad to finely be back into some actual clothes instead of the paper pajamas that the hospital supplied.

While Kakashi had been off retrieving the clothes Naruto had gotten cleared to leave the hospital after going through a routine checkup from one of the medic-nins named Kenji. After being told he was fine and could leave once Kakashi returned with the clothing the blond went through what equipment had survived his brush with death.

Much to the boy's happiness his goggles hadn't been damaged and were sitting on top of the pile made up of his hip pouch, kunai holster, sandals, and katana. The blood that had been on them had been cleaned off while he had slept. However, the whiskered Shugorei had discovered that his katana had suffered some tremendous damage once he had unsheathed the blade. The edge had several large nicks and cracks along it and the body of the blade itself had a deep gouge from where one of the blades of wind had hit it. Knowing that the weapon could break the next time he needed to use it or practice with it Naruto made a mental note to try and repair it in the armory inside the underground Shugorei complex or take it to a professional weapons smith as his own skill in forging was not very good.

After sheathing the weapon once again the boy had set about sealing up the tokens that had been left for him in the hopes of getting well. As he worked to place them into one of the scrolls that had survived, Naruto had been interrupted by Umino Iruka entering the room. Following a stunned silence as the two stared at one another the chunin had explained that he, Kakashi, and the Hokage had been taking turns visiting the unconscious young shinobi and checking to see if he had awoken. As the man had finished his explanation Kakashi had poofed into the room with a new set of clothing and a frustrated grimace hidden beneath his mask.

Leaving the hospital after Naruto had changed into his clothes and placed all of his equipment back in its proper places the trio had begun to make their way to what the blond birthday boy considered to be the only place he wanted to eat at, Ichiraku Ramen. It hadn't helped matters that Naruto had not eaten any real food since before his fight and Iruka had mentioned that in honor of the boy's birthday he would treat them to dinner. Kakashi had decided to simply go along with everything considering he was having too much fun watching as Naruto seemed to bounce off the walls at the prospect of free food from Ichiraku.

This was the mindset of the three as they made their way to the ramen stand though Naruto was starting to feel an increasing level of discomfort as they walked through the bustling festival. More than a few times the whiskered blond had received sets of scathing glances and a few insults before Kakashi and Iruka had sent back a small, intimidating wave of their own displeasure at the sight of people who were too stupid to see the truth about Naruto and the Kyuubi. Despite this Naruto had mixed feelings about actually attending the festival. Part of him desperately wanted to be here as it was his birthday and he had always wanted to take in the festival that marked the day. At the same time part of him was growing angry with those who kept shooting him stares and making whispered insults and threats causing the blond to consider leaving just to be away from the oppressive feelings of anger and hate. However, the part of Naruto that wanted to stick it to the village bigots overruled his thoughts of disappearing for the evening.

"_Yeah that's right, I'm alive and here enjoying myself,"_ Naruto thought as he covered his face with a smile as he shot a glance back at a woman who had spat on the ground in front of him before moving away quickly due to a hard glare from Iruka.

While it was some fun to see the shortsighted people being intimidated by the two Konoha shinobi Naruto did realize that he shouldn't try and provoke anything.

"_I haven't seen Ojiisan yet, but I'm sure he will have a few choice words for me about the incident a few nights ago,"_ the Uzumaki thought quickly as he moved with his two companions further into the bustling carnival. _"Causing another fight or doing something stupid wouldn't help me. Besides I'm here to celebrate my birthday not have Kakashi or Iruka kick the crap out of people for my enjoyment, although that would be fun and entertaining…."_

"Oh there you are Iruka-kun, I thought you'd forgotten about little old me!" came a drunken yet sultry feminine voice from nearby, breaking Naruto's thoughts.

Looking to the scarred chunin to see what was going on Naruto found the interesting sight of the man having halted mid-step and gone wide-eyed with worry as he began to sweat profusely.

"Oh why me? Why is it always me?" the Academy instructor suddenly mumbled just loud enough for Naruto's excellent hearing to catch.

Before he could ask what the matter was Naruto watched as a form jumped onto the back of the startled man and drape itself about him.

"I knew you'd come out to play with me and leave those pesky little runts behind," slurred the dark, purple haired woman who had her hair tied back in a spikey knot as she rubbed her cheek next to Iruka's.

Staring at the two as others around them paused to glance at the small scene Naruto quirked an eyebrow at seeing the woman holding a bottle of sake in one hand and a large skewer of dango in the other as she seemed to molest the panicky chunin.

Spinning round to fact the woman Iruka stuttered out, "Ah, ah Anko-san what…what are you doing here?"

Pulling her tan trench coat back a bit and pushing her large breasts forward from beneath the concealment of the fine steel mesh body suit she wore, Anko tried to look seductive in her leather miniskirt and open toed boots with steel shin guards.

Planting a large wet kiss on the man's face before being held at arms length Mitarashi Anko gave a playful grin saying, while letting her head sway from side to side as the alcohol she had consumed played with her equilibrium, "I love how you play hard to get all the time Iruka-kun, its why you're so sexy."

Trying to hold the purple haired kunoichi back Iruka said nervously, "You're drunk Anko-san, people are staring."

"Hmm, let 'em stare," the woman whispered softly as she clasped the brown haired man's right arm close to her body. "And I thought I told you to call me Anko-chan silly."

Blushing furiously as his arm slid between the warm comforts of Anko's bosom the chunin instructor stuttered out, "Um…I'd love to stay…but, but…well I promised to take…um Naruto here…Here!"

Iruka's voice abruptly rose in volume and pitch as Anko let her hand run across his backside to cop a fell before saying in a tipsy voice, "He could watch if you want you kinky man."

At the mention of himself getting involved Naruto flushed in embarrassment both for himself and the chunin who seemed to be sending pleading looks to both him and Kakashi, who seemed to be using his little orange book to ignore the situation. That or the one eyed jounin was comparing scenes.

"Uh," a flabbergasted Iruka began before breaking out of the hold Anko had on his arm and leaping up to take off across the rooftops of Konoha.

"You'll have to take a rain check Naruto!" came the yell from the quickly retreating form of the panicky man just as he disappeared over the roofline.

"Wait for me Iruka-kun!" whined Anko as her eyes took on a predatory gleam as she bolted after him. "You still have to do me!"

Left standing stunned with a giggling Kakashi as the rest of the people around them began to return to their enjoyment of the festival, Naruto looked to the somewhat perverted shinobi and asked, "Is that normal?"

Giving a another small giggle at the antics of the woman who had become his successor as an ANBU Captain, the grey haired man responded, "Well, Anko does get a bit frisky when she drinks and for some unknown reason she always goes after Iruka even when she's dead sober, so yeah…that's pretty normal."

"_You're all insane,"_ the young blond thought calmly despite his want to yell it at the top of his lungs.

Before Naruto could think of anything else or ask Kakashi what they should do now several shrieks pierced the atmosphere of the festival. Turning in alarm towards the sources of the sound while going for the hilt of his katana over his right shoulder the blond paused in his action as he saw a group of women racing towards him, well more specifically towards the aloof jounin that was with him. Eyes widening in surprise once again the whiskered youth heard the women yelling for Kakashi and offering him similar things to what Anko had with Iruka. Glancing to where the grey haired jounin was to see what they needed to do, Naruto found the man disappearing in a poof of smoke.

After the horde of women seemed to search around him in a frenzy for a few moments before dispersing Naruto shuddered as he thought,_"Fangirls…so dangerous, so terrifying."_

Even though his two companions had been waylaid by unforeseen circumstances the blond boy decided that he might as well continue on his way to Ichiraku before exploring the carnival that was the festival for a bit. Making his way around vendors selling 'special' festival souvenirs and products Naruto moved closer to one of the large intersections that would take him to his favorite ramen stand, well favorite restaurant of any kind.

Reaching the crossroads the blond found himself staring at a group of costumed dancers moving in time to traditional drum, flute, and string music. Entranced by the display Naruto watched as the dancers spun and dove about each other with a grace and skill that was worthy of any shinobi. The men and women of the troupe were dressed in vibrant costumes depicting Konoha-nin. Hearing the music pickup a more sinister tone the boy saw a large male dancer suddenly appear dressed in a dark, crimson costume with a large fox mask and nine swirling, fabric tails. The shinobi dancers seemed to be swept away by the depiction of the Kyuubi before the music changed again and another male dancer, this time depicting the Yondaime, came into the circle formed by the on looking crowd. The pseudo-Yondaime and pseudo-Kyuubi seemed to clash in their intricate dance before finally the costumed fox man fell to the ground at the feet of the fake Hokage when the music hit a large crescendo.

As the crowd began to clap and cheer at the display Naruto turned to head down the street that would take him to Ichiraku Ramen when suddenly he felt a hand land upon his shoulder. Grabbing the wrist of the person and spinning the blond Shugorei flipped the person over onto their back before locking their arm as he placed a knee on their chest to gain leverage. Preparing to strike the person who had touched him suddenly the whiskered boy was surprised to find a stunned Nara Shikamaru.

Looking at boy who was normally uninterested in anything going on with confusion Naruto suddenly realized that he was being stared at by the wide eyed group of friends he had made at the Academy.

"Oww," moaned Shikamaru from where he laid on the ground as Naruto quickly got off of the boy and pulled him to his feet.

"I am so sorry Shikamaru," Naruto apologized quickly in repetition as he dusted the other boy off. "I didn't mean to hurt you; I guess I'm still kind of jumpy from getting sent to the hospital."

Rolling his sore shoulder to make sure it still worked properly the pineapple haired boy responded, "So troublesome, remind me never to listen to Ino again and sneak up on you Naruto."

"Hey don't try to blame this on me!" shouted the blond girl as she came over to bonk the lazy boy on the head. "You wouldn't have had to grab him if he had heard us yelling at him."

"You were yelling to me?" asked Naruto in confusion considering he hadn't heard them because he had been too preoccupied with the low rumbles his stomach was making considering it hadn't been fed real food in three days.

"Kiba, Ino, and Sakura were doing most of the yelling," stated Shino stoically as Chouji munched on some fried noodles and helped Shikamaru back to his feet after Ino had quit hitting the poor boy. "We were all surprised to see you out of the hospital so soon."

"Yeah we went to visit you earlier today, but they said you had been released," supplied Kiba as Akamaru, who was riding on his master's head, yapped in affirmation.

Looking at the group Naruto replied, "Well I heal pretty quickly."

"Ano…are you sure you're…um, are you sure you're okay Naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered shyly as she poked her fingers together.

Giving a foxy grin the boy flexed his right bicep and confidently answered, "It'll take more than that to bring me down and the cards and stuff you guys left me really helped."

Even though she had only been indirectly complimented the timid Hyuuga girl blushed fiercely and began to fiddle with her fingers more as she looked away to hide her flushed face.

"Well we had to do something for you considering you're our friend" Sakura said as she threw her long hair back over her shoulder. "We haven't seen you at school that much, but you're still part of the group."

While Naruto took on an embarrassed look at being reminded of how he had been avoiding them Chouji interjected between bites of noodles, "What were you doing that you didn't hear us yelling to you before?"

"Well, um you see," began the whiskered blond just as his stomach let out a large growl which made him rub scratch his head and laugh lightly in discomfort. "As my stomach indicated I haven't actually had anything to eat in a while other than the fluids they had me on in the hospital, so I was kind of focusing on finding something to eat."

"Well let's get you something to eat!" Ino yelled as she took on a triumphant pose of pointing up to the sky as the rest of the group stared in silent awkwardness.

"Yeah, well I was heading to Ichiraku since I'm really familiar with the old man there," Naruto supplied as he felt a bit sweat trickle down his brow.

"Then to Ichiraku it is!" Sakura shouted as she took on an identical pose to Ino except pointing down the street instead of up to the sky so as not to be outdone.

The small group of friends began walking with the two girls jockeying for the lead as Naruto leaned over to Shikamaru and whispered, "What's going on with Ino and Sakura?"

Giving a sigh as he walked the young Nara replied in a bored tone, "They're in a 'happy power mode' to hide the fact that they couldn't find Sasuke earlier when they wanted him to take them to enjoy the festival."

"Yeah they've been like that all night so far," laughed Kiba a little too loudly as Akamaru yapped and took on a canine version of a grin.

Before Naruto could nod in understanding both Ino and Sakura turned around and yelled with fire in their eyes, "Sasuke-kun is just doing something more important; he'll be back in time to enjoy the 'Great Fire' with me!"

Turning and locking eyes with each other both girls suddenly started to argue over who Sasuke was going to be taking since they both thought it would be one of them. The argument started to get heated, but luckily by that time the group had made it to the small ramen stand which was busy with customers.

Moving beneath the navy blue flaps of cloth hung over the entrance to the stand Naruto yelled, "Hey old man!"

Looking up from his work as he and Ayame busily filled the orders of customers Teuchi smiled and shouted back, "Hey brat, good to see you back up and around! I kept your stool open for you!"

Giving a large, toothy grin the blond boy seated himself at the counter as the rest of the group sat down near him in a set of folding chairs with small swing tables on the sides that Teuchi had set out knowing he would need extra places for the abundant amount of customers to sit.

Trying to think of what to order first Naruto felt a light tap on his elbow. Looking to the side he saw that Hinata had managed to snag the stool to the left of him.

"Ano, I've never…um, well…I've never eaten here before," the pale eyed girl stammered as her cheeks turned a rosy red.

"Really, then we have to introduce you to the wonder that is ramen Hinata," Naruto said loudly before turning back to Teuchi who was cooking fiercely. "Hey old man Hinata here is a first timer so we need something great to start her off with."

Giving a startled 'eep' at the whiskered boy's boisterous yell Hinata seemed to shrink down into her tan, hooded jacket.

"Don't worry, Otousan will make something great for her like he does for all of our customers," Ayame said as she came over with a half a dozen plates and bowls balanced carefully in her arms.

Passing the food back to those who had ordered it Naruto turned back around to find a gigantic bowl of ramen filled with everything from leaks and eggs, to fishcakes and large, lobster claws and tails sitting before him.

"Wow the 'Super, Ultra, Deluxe, Ramen Bowl of Greatness'. Who ordered this?" Naruto asked in amazement as the dish was by far the largest and greatest, not to mention the most expensive, thing one could order from Ichiraku.

Giving the boy a large grin Ayame turned from where she was taking some orders and said, "Consider it your birthday gift from us Naruto."

Wide eyed at the fact he was not only getting a free meal but such a fine dish when he could have just been given a free regular bowl of ramen Naruto felt touched that Teuchi and Ayame would do such a thing.

"Hey, don't just stare at it all night!" yelled Teuchi as he brought the orders of Naruto's group forward. "I'll be able to expand the stand into a true restaurant soon thanks to you, my number one customer."

Giving a whoop of joy at the news the Shugorei heir broke apart a pair of chopsticks with a loud 'itadakimasu' before digging into his birthday dish.

"Hey, Naruto!" Kiba yelled over the clamor of the packed ramen stand. "You didn't tell us today was your birthday!"

Gulping down a mouthful of noodles the blue eyed boy rubbed the back of his head and gave a short laugh before saying, "It must have slipped my mind."

"Slipped your mind? It's your birthday, we have to celebrate!" Sakura yelled before she shot an angry glare at Ino who had snagged the last egg roll from the large plate of food they had been sharing with Kiba, Shikamaru, and Shino.

"Indeed," supplied Chouji as he gulped down one of the bowls of ramen that had been part of his own substantial order. "There's so much to do and see, not to mention eat during the festival. It makes me wish we could have festivals everyday!"

"Chew and swallow before speaking Chouji," reprimanded Ino as she finished the egg roll she had snagged. "I know you like food, but that doesn't mean you can't display proper manners. What are you a pig or some…."

Before the blond girl could finish her comment Shikamaru had slapped a hand over her mouth and began to whisper a warning as he saw his chubby friend take on a twitch at the innuendo of being fat.

"Ino, you know you have to be more careful about what you say," the lazy boy whispered sternly before letting out a loud cry as Ino bit down upon the hand he had used to cover her mouth.

Pulling his hand away from her teeth and cradling it to his chest Shikamaru yelled, "What the hell's wrong with you woman!"

As Ino stuck her tongue out in defiance Shino neutrally commented, "Hmm, that's odd. That seems reminiscent of the mating ritual of the Red Desert Scorpion in Wind Country. The females consume the males they mate with to have the energy to develop their offspring. Hmm, we should all be cautious if that is the case here."

As the stoic bug user's words ended a silence descended not only on the group of friends but also the entire Ichiraku Ramen Stand as everyone stared in wide eyed disbelief at the young Aburame's comment.

"Dude, Shino!" shouted Kiba, breaking the silence. "You don't say much that isn't creepy, but that was just downright, fucking hilarious!"

As a number of other customers began to laugh and throw words of agreement over to back the young Inuzuka up one Yamanaka Ino raged and screamed, "Shut up Kiba, that's not funny at all!"

Unfortunately for the young mind walking girl she seemed to be the only person to think so as even timid, little Hinata giggled behind her hand at the odd nature of her companions as she enjoyed the light, vegetable ramen dish Teuchi had prepared for her.

A number of other jokes were exchanged as the group of friends finished up their meal. Having eaten their fill, well except Chouji who seemed to now be in the mood for something sweet, the small collection of Academy students began to pay their bill and move out into the street.

Hanging back as his friends waited in the street for him Naruto turned to the two ramen proprietors while saying, "Thanks old man for the great food. I'll see you and Neesan later."

Turning to join his friends the young blond caught the voice of a man sitting at the far end of the counter sipping some sake as Ayame set a bowl of ramen down in front of him.

"Heh, don't be so sure about that brat," the man said lowly as he took another swig of alcohol. "Maybe if we're all lucky someone will finish the job that the Yondaime started, since you were lucky enough to avoid it a few days ago."

Pausing in mid-step the whiskered Shugorei turned Uzumaki clenched his fist at the insinuation. Trying hard to keep a hold of his anger at being thought of as nothing more than a new form of the Demon Fox the boy ground his teeth to avoid saying something stupid and giving the man, and anyone else watching, the satisfaction of baiting him.

Giving a laugh towards the back of the birthday boy the man suddenly was silenced by a loud slap.

Turning to see what had happened Naruto was surprised to see that Ayame had struck the man hard enough across the face to actually knock him off his stool.

"What the hell! I'm a paying customer, you can't treat me like this…," growled the man in protest before a meat cleaver sunk into the countertop in front of where he was standing, cutting off his words and sending the stand into silence.

"This is my establishment," an angry looking Teuchi said coldly as he fingered a pair of long cutting knives that were slid into his apron. "I can refuse service to anyone I choose and I won't have my customers threatened in my presence."

Stepping forward to interpose himself between his daughter and the frightened looking man the old ramen chef icily ordered, "You'll leave and never bother us or Naruto if you know what's good for you. Now get out before I call the ANBU."

Watching the man trip over himself as he scurried away from the angered Teuchi and Ayame, Naruto caught a small nod from the two in his direction before they returned to cooking and filling orders.

Though he simply nodded in return, as the father-daughter team would never accept his thanks, deep down the young demon vessel felt warm as he moved out of the stand to join his waiting friends and thought,_"Thanks you two that was the best birthday gift anyone could ever hope to give me."_

"Naruto what happened in there?" asked Sakura as the blond met the waiting group of friends. "Some guy just came running out of there like he had seen the devil himself."

Giving a small chuckle the twelve year old blond lied, "The guy was getting a little drunk and made a pass at Ayame-neesan. Needless to say old man Teuchi got kind of pissed and threatened not only to cut the man off but also cut off something very near and dear to the guy."

With those words every male in the group silently cringed and moved their hands to be in front of their crotches in an unconscious gesture of worried protection. At the same time Ino and Sakura both took on a fiery look as they cursed perverts while poor Hinata seemed ready to faint from the uncomfortable blush that covered her face.

Allowing another laugh echo from him, Naruto guided his friends back into the festival to discover what he had been missing out on for so long.

* * *

It was getting close to midnight in Konohagakure and the festival celebrating the defeat of the Kyuubi no Youko was still going strong. Uzumaki/Shugorei Naruto was more than content at the way he had spent his time with the group of fellow students from the Konoha Ninja Academy. During that time the birthday boy seemed to realize that the group wasn't just labeled as friends, but every part and definition of the word as he was taken by them to experience everything the festival offered. The blond boy had been led on what seemed like a magical ride through the many vending and game stands that had been set up as well as the different shows that were being put on by the myriad of performing groups that had been hired by the village to keep the atmosphere lively and festive.

After leaving Ichiraku Ramen the Shugorei heir had been dragged by a very persistent Chouji to a stand that was selling a substance known as cotton candy. The portly Akimichi boy had gotten his blond friend a large, blue stick of the blown sugar candy with the wish of Happy Birthday. Naruto hadn't exactly been sure what to make of the new treat and didn't even know how he should eat it until Ino had pulled off a clump and shoved it into his mouth. The way that the sugary strands melted away delighted the whiskered boy as Chouji beamed with pride that he had selected such a wonderful thing.

Moving on, Naruto had been taken to a game stand by Shikamaru where the participant was given three chances to hit a target with a shuriken. Of course the simple version of the game was designed with civilians in mind. The small group of shinobi wannabes had to play a harder version designed with the targets moving and small obstacles randomly popping up to block any throw. Complicating things was the fact that the ninja participant couldn't just choose any target to hit, no they had to hit the target that was being lit up with bright electric light before it dimmed and a different one lit up. Shino and Kiba had both hit a target once when they tried; winning a small butterfly plushie which Shino set on his head in an odd manner and a small dog plushie that Kiba had Akamaru hold in his teeth.

The big winner had been Naruto who hit with every single shuriken he threw. The vendor had been so surprised that he had the blond do it again to make sure he wasn't cheating and once again Naruto had hit with each of his throws. The vendor had seemed a little miffed about it all, but turned it around by using it to lure in more customers with the idea that it wasn't as hard as it actually was.

Leaving the game stand Naruto had split his prizes with his friends even though they had protested that they were his. Countering that he wouldn't have come to the stand to play if not for them, the blue eyed youth handed out a prize to his friends who hadn't won anything.

To Ino he gave the small plushie sunflower and to Shikamaru the plushie cloud. Chouji received a plushie swirled fishcake. Naruto gave a small yellow and purple slug plushie to Sakura as for some unknown reason he felt she would like it and to his and everyone's amazement the pink haired girl had let out a squeal of delight as she hugged it to herself. Keeping a small red frog plushie for himself Naruto had forced a white rabbit plushie into the hands of a blushing Hinata, who was protesting that she couldn't accept such a gift. Despite her shyness the girl had finally accepted the bunny and promptly fainted when Naruto had made an offhand remark that he thought she and the plushie shared a similar cuteness.

After a few moments of panic at seeing the Hyuuga girl collapse the group had revived her, made sure she was okay and moved on to a musical show that Sakura had pulled several tickets out of her hip pouch as her contribution to celebrating Naruto's birthday, though originally the tickets had been for the group to see the show just because it was part of the festival.

As the young, shinobi wannabes had found themselves right upfront in the VIP area the tickets had been for to wait for the show to start Sakura had explained to the surprised group how she had been able to get such great and expensive seats. While the pink haired girl didn't come from a strong ninja tradition like her peers she did come from a very successful merchant clan that had dabbled in the shinobi arts. The merchant clan was a dominant fixture in the local guilds and using her influence had gotten her mother and grandfather to arrange for a special musical show and of course they just happened to keep a certain number of VIP passes for their own use.

The show had been amazing as it was the complete opposite of the traditional music and dance that was seen throughout the rest of the festival. The band played a fast style that Sakura and the others had told Naruto was named Rock n' Roll; the Shugorei heir had loved it. Listening as the band played on stringed instruments hooked up to electric speakers and a large set of drums and cymbals the birthday boy had joined in the fun as the crowd began to bob, weave, clap, and jump to the rhythm, sound, and feel of the music.

In some ways it had been the most interesting thing that Naruto had ever seen. Not only had the experience been great, but he had seen his friends really enjoy themselves. Kiba, Shino, Chouji, and Shikamaru had all been shaking their heads violently to the sound of the music while mimicking the way the musicians played their different instruments. Akamaru seemed to hang onto Kiba's head for dear life as the pup bit down onto the fur lined hood, though the white dog did seem to let out howls of approval at the beginning and end of each song. Sakura and Ino had done what Naruto assumed was dancing as it involved them moving both with and against the music. Even Hinata had stepped out of her shyness for the time of the concert and had surprised the entire group when she had raised her hands into the air to make some odd hand signs and let out a loud, drawn out 'woo' when the band had finished their first song.

Leaving the concert after the musical group had played two extra songs as an encore the group of friends had been directed by Shino to a small landing next to the river that branched into Konoha. The calm Aburame had directed the group's attention to joining in on making and then launching small, paper lantern boats. The stoic bug loving boy had explained to them all that sending the lit lanterns floating down the river was supposed to bring good fortune and that as they each placed a lantern on the water and nudged it out to join the parade of lights floating along they should make a wish that encompassed their hopes and dreams for the future. Considering that they had all just gotten done listening to something loud and were a bit tired from enjoying themselves the group had readily agreed to the quiet tradition.

Each of the Academy students had made their own lantern from the supplies and advice being offered by a group that was made up of experienced lantern makers that lived in Konoha and wished to pass on the traditional experience to everyone who wanted to join in. Surprisingly the group of friends, well except Shino who seemed to have already known about it, found that many of the lantern makers and enthusiasts of the tradition who were participating were members of Clan Aburame. Even more surprising was the fact that when the group had approached to make their own lanterns Shino had introduced them all to his father, Aburame Shibi.

The man had given a quiet nod to all of them, though he did seem to stare at Naruto for a few extra moments or at least the blond boy thought he did as like the other members of Clan Aburame the man wore the dark sunglasses over his eyes even though it was nearly pitch dark out despite the light of the lanterns and festive village.

Working quietly the group of friends had quickly constructed their lanterns through intricate folds and sticky rice to glue certain pieces together, well nearly everyone finished quickly. It had taken a concentrated and patient effort by Shino, Hinata, and surprisingly Shibi to help Naruto make a lantern. It seemed that despite his skills in many areas the blond Shugorei turned Uzumaki had little to no talent in making the intricate designed lanterns. Finally finishing the whiskered twelve year old had thanked them all for their assistance earning him a nod from Shibi as the man told the boy that he would've gotten it eventually even if they hadn't helped him.

Launching their lanterns each of the friends had made their own silent wishes to themselves as telling anyone could endanger its chances of coming true. Placing his own lantern down and giving it a gentle push to join the others Naruto had wished that the warm feelings he was experiencing with the group would never go away and that when the truth about who and what he was finally came out the group that was treating him to such a great birthday would still accept him as their friend.

Moving from the river as their lanterns flickered in the current, the group of friends followed Kiba and Akamaru on to the next event. The rowdy Inuzuka led the group to a small animal circus that had been brought in for the festival. The creatures being exhibited had come from all corners of the globe and included some of the most interesting sights the young students had ever seen.

Gigantic elephants with tamers who worked with them to show how the lumbering giants could be as gentle and friendly as any normal pet came from the continent far to the east and south across the great ocean bordering the Elemental Countries. From the far off southern continent came beautiful white horses that not only pranced and followed commands without fail, but also seemed to have the ability to dance without even a single verbal command from their human companions. Large mammals called walruses and seals from the frigid waters of Snow Country delighted the audience as they swam about a large aquatic stage while performing slap stick humor with their human counterparts. Especially captivating were the cute otters and penguins that made many of the young children wish that they could invite them out to play.

After enjoying the show and seeing the unique beauty that each of the different animals held Ino took charge of the group and brought them to a large ice cream pavilion. The huge list of flavors available was quite daunting and Naruto, who had never really had the treat that often, found himself unsure what exactly to get. Luckily enough Ino helped him out and bought him a large 'Triple Chocolate Brownie, Fudge Delight'. The cone of ice cream had been nearly a foot tall and if not for his dexterity and balance Naruto swore he would have been wearing part of it as a giant stain on his clothing and a giant smear on his face. Despite the balancing act needed for him to eat the thing the young, blond boy had loudly praised his female, Yamanaka companion for making an excellent and delicious choice for him.

Enjoying the frozen treats and the multiple toppings that they could choose to put on them the friends had sat in the nearby park as an A Cappella group entertained those who had decided to take a break from the bustling excitement of the main part of the festival. The singing of the group and the harmony they made without the use of instruments had been a melodic dream that had taken the listeners from the small park in Konoha to the large cities in the Western Lands where the form of music was most prevalent. After they had all finished their ice cream, with Naruto somehow having finished before most of them without spilling a single drop, they had moved to a set of public bathrooms to freshen up since they all had small circles of melted ice cream circling their mouths.

After finally finishing up in the restrooms the group had turned to Hinata for their next activity since it was about eleven o'clock and the group wanted to do one final thing before going to what they kept calling the 'Great Fire', which Naruto couldn't for the life of him get any them to explain to him exactly what it was as even Shikamaru told him that he had to see it first hand so as not to ruin the surprise. The shy Hyuuga girl seemed to be too nervous with the pressure that she felt the group was putting on her to come up with something that would equal what they had already done. It didn't help matters that Kiba reminded her that it was Naruto's birthday, so the poor girl felt even more worried about choosing something that would be seen as special.

Noting the girl's increased anxiety as everyone had gathered around her Naruto had calmly commented that since this 'Great Fire' thing was supposed to be very exciting Hinata should choose something that she loved and found enjoyable. With that little bit of encouragement the Hyuuga heiress had directed her friends back into the heart of Konoha before leading them through the weaving streets into the a very upscale neighborhood. Following behind the surprisingly quick girl the group had found themselves standing before the entrance to Clan Hyuuga' compound before being escorted inside by two stone faced Hyuuga guards.

With Hinata in the lead the group moved across the Hyuuga grounds to suddenly come to the wondrous scene of the extensive garden system that was being illuminated by sets of lanterns and candles that were spread throughout. The flickering lights highlighted the most impressive aspect of the garden, numerous glistening, white flowers were opened and basking in the light of the moon as their scent filled the air with a lightly sweet aroma that was intoxicating. The group was at a loss for words at what they beheld. Ino broke the silence when she began to go into and excited squeal about how the flowers were called Queen of the Night and were exceptionally rare for the Elemental Countries and incredibly difficult to cultivate.

Hinata explained to the group as they availed themselves of the tables of food and drink that had been set out for guests to enjoy that the Hyuuga gardeners had developed a way, based on techniques given to them by Clan Shugorei in a sign of friendship between the two clans, to control the growth and blooming of the flowers. The timid girl continued with her explanation that the flowers were always manipulated to bloom for the warmer festivals that the village celebrated and it was one of the few times that anyone who wasn't a Hyuuga would be allowed to enter the compound without invitation.

However, what the shy girl didn't say was that guests were closely monitored by the guards from the Branch House. She also failed to mention that the tradition had started about fourteen years ago when her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, had wed her mother, Hyuuga Hikari. Unknown to her guests Hinata knew the Queen of the Night had been her mother's favorite flower and her father had the Hyuuga gardeners develop this particular strain especially for her. Hikari had loved it so much when presented with it she had made the declaration that it was too beautiful to be kept private so Hiashi, as an act of love to fulfill his wife's words, had started the tradition of allowing outsiders to view the blooming.

As she watched her friends marvel and enjoy the joy of the garden the young, pale eyed girl couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions as she recalled how she had loved playing with her father and mother in the garden amidst the blooms. Part of her cherished that time as some of the happiest memories she had while another part mournfully wished she could experience such things again. The love fro her departed mother and her seemingly lost father made the young heiress almost begin to cry. The only thing stopping her was the warm feeling she was receiving as she moved amidst the blooms with her friends and the hope that one day her father, her sister, and her would make new cherished memories on nights such as this.

Enjoying the wonder that was the Hyuuga garden Naruto had made several mental notes about things he would have to do when he had the Shugorei compound rebuilt and the once magnificent gardens within reformed. Moving over to Hinata to discreetly ask her about a few details on the garden the boy paused when he saw a large and imposing, pale eyed man in fine robes moving with a small, pale eyed girl by his side towards Hinata. Seeing the look of worry suddenly flash on his friend's face the Shugorei heir moved to her side to offer any assistance he could. Such a thing turned out to be unneeded as the man seemed to give an approving nod towards Hinata before giving him a once over glance and then leading the girl by his side deeper into the gardens.

Leaving the Hyuuga compound and its unbelievable garden behind to go to the entrance of the village where the 'Great Fire' would be held, or at least that's what everyone kept telling him, Naruto had held back to talk with Hinata about the man and the girl he had seen in the garden. The timid girl had at first been too shy to say anything, but after a bit of prodding and quiet encouragement the blond Shugorei had learned that the man had been none other that Hyuuga Hiashi and the little girl had been Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi. Sensing that the pale eyed girl wasn't very comfortable talking about her family the blond had left it at that, though he did feel there was more to the matter and for some unknown reason had the nagging feeling that it would be important in the future.

As midnight close in upon them the group of friends finally made it to the entrance of Konoha and the so-called 'Great Fire'. What Naruto saw there turned his mouth dry and left a horrible taste to linger in it as his eyes widened in a mixture of shock and dread.

"Isn't it as awesome as we said!" whooped Kiba as he pointed to the large, wooden Nine-tailed Fox that stood painted as a model half the size of the real Kyuubi no Youko.

"Hmm, I love it at the end when the selected shinobi are given the order to set it ablaze," Ino agreed as she seemed to hug herself in eager anticipation.

"You…you mean it gets set on fire?" stuttered out Naruto as he felt anxiety crashing through his mind.

"Duh," responded Shikamaru in a tone that still sounded bored but had a hint of excitement in it. "That's what ablaze means."

"Yeah," Chouji chimed in. "The Hokage gets up in front on that tower over their and retells how the Yondaime and other valiant shinobi defeated the Kyuubi at the cost of there lives. Then the special Grand Marshal who was selected by the Council and opened the start of the festivities this morning will make a quick speech and give the order for the special detail of shinobi to set it on fire.'

"You missed the opening this morning so you didn't get to hear the opening speech," Sakura said as she looked up at the small tower set away from the wooden demon as it began to fill with officials. "This year's Grand Marshal is a man named Tsubasa, he's the steward for Clan Uchiha until Sasuke-kun takes over."

"It is a great honor to be selected as one of the shinobi to set it on fire," Shino added calmly as he adjusted his sunglasses. "The burning of the model every year seems to help those who lost loved ones to the actual beast by providing some form of closure."

"Yeah," Kiba said with a bit of a sullen tone before anger crept into his voice as Akamaru gave a low whine. "My mom got to do it a few years ago, so Hana and I got to be right up front for it. Even though it felt good I hope I'll get to do it myself someday as that bastard of a demon took my father away just after I was born."

"My father was one of the few members of my family to become a shinobi," Sakura said as she moved next to Kiba in a showing of solidarity. "He was killed by the Kyuubi as well. I barely have any memories of him since I was only about seven moths old at the time, so I hope I'll get the same chance as you Kiba."

As two of his friends were receiving comforting gestures from the others, Naruto was feeling sick to his stomach as his anxiety and worry began to mount. Before he could excuse himself and leave on the basis that he felt ill the blond Shugorei became the center of attention as his friends looked to him. Suddenly fearing that his secret was out and that his wish from earlier wouldn't come true the Shugorei heir began to concentrate his chakra to utilize Shunpo and escape to the relative safety of his clan's hidden facility.

"Naruto, I know this may be an awkward time and probably a very painful subject for you, but we got to know," Ino said, unknowingly keeping the blond boy she considered a friend from disappearing in a phased out image. "You said earlier that you traveled with your Hijiji-san and Sasuke-kun said you didn't have a clan, so we were wondering…well um you never really mentioned about your family…."

Giving a sigh as the blond girl began to fumble through what they all wanted to know Shikamaru asked frankly, "What she means to say is we were wondering if you also lost family to the Kyuubi?"

Hearing the question the whiskered, blond demon vessel felt something fill him that made him incredibly uncomfortable. Trying to give some sort of answer the birthday boy couldn't get anything to come out when he opened his mouth.

Seeing the awkwardness that they had caused in their newest friend Hinata quietly said, "We're sorry Naruto-kun. Ano…you don't need to say anything if you don't want to."

Hearing the girl who always seemed so demure trying to offer him some comfort Naruto shook his head and said, "No, it's alright I…maybe it would help if I told you about it."

Circling about their friend as they ignored a few speeches being made by some unimportant officials up on the small tower the group waited patiently for him to begin.

"I was born on this day twelve years ago here in Konoha," Naruto stated slowly as his eyes took on a distant look. "All of my family died because of the Kyuubi in some way. My…my father died fighting to defend Konoha with the other shinobi. My mother…my mother went into premature labor and died after giving birth to me. If not for a good deal of luck I would have followed them as I was apparently too weak to survive because of the difficulty my mother had. I was placed into the Konoha Orphanage afterwards to grow up alongside others who had lost their parents and families."

"But I thought you said you lived with you Hijiji-san," Sakura interjected as Naruto took on a sad look.

"I did, but I didn't meet him until after I turned five," the blond boy explained as he tried to screen out any details that would betray his secret while at the same time trying to tamp down the warring emotions that threatened to overflow from him. "He was my mother's grandfather and he had been living away from the village for a long time. Hell, he didn't even know she was even pregnant let alone that I had survived. It wasn't until he came to Konoha on some business that he found out about everything…."

Trailing off as he desperately tried to halt himself from letting tears flow down his face Naruto suddenly felt several reassuring and comfortable hands touch him. Looking up from where he had been staring at the ground to hide his emotional turmoil the Shugorei turned Uzumaki found the faces of his friends giving him comforting smiles.

"Thank you for trusting us enough to tell us this Naruto," Shino said calmly as his sunglasses covered eyes stared into Naruto's. "It was very difficult for you to do that and yet very brave as well. I am honored that you would share such personal things with us."

"Yeah," chimed in a smiling Kiba as Akamaru gave a reassuring bark as comfort. "My mom always says it takes a real man to admit certain things that are hard for him to talk about. I'm not exactly sure what she means by any of that, but I'm sure it applies to you."

"Baka!" Sakura and Ino yelled before giving twin punches to Kiba's head as Akamaru jumped off to avoid going down with his master.

"What the hell?!" Ino began as she picked the young Inuzuka up by the collar of hi jacket and began to shake him furiously.

Grabbing the feral looking boy from Ino as she tossed him over and proceeding to do her own shaking of him Sakura followed up, "You're supposed to be trying to act sensitive here and then you say something like that in you idiot!"

Before the two girls could continue to tag team the poor boy any further Naruto let loose a loud laugh as he wiped at his eyes, "Its alright, in a way what he said really helped."

Letting the poor dog loving boy go the two girls seemed to rush back over to their newest friend and began to frantically ask him if he was sure he was okay. Reassuring them that he was feeling better Naruto watched as Akamaru sniffed at the dazed form of his master before licking the poor boy back into consciousness all the while Shikamaru muttered how troublesome things were and Chouji nodded his head in agreement as he began to eat a bag of candy he had gotten earlier in the festival. Coming back to consciousness Kiba shakily retook his feet before picking his loyal, canine companion up and placing him back on top of his head.

Turning back to watch what was happening Naruto and his friends found the Sandaime stepping forward to give his speech.

Coughing slightly to clear his voice the old village leader spoke with a firmness and strength of conviction that seemed to belong to a far younger man.

"We gather here now as we have done so many times before to remember what we have gone through and those we have lost," the Hokage said as he stared out onto the many faces gathered before him yet only truly seeing a certain blond haired boy. "Wars have been waged against us and we have remained strong, the Kyuubi no Youko came to destroy us for reasons we still do not know and yet we still remain strong. Where has this strength come from that keeps us going, that keeps us alive and striving ever forward?"

Looking back beyond the crowd to see the stone faces of his predecessors and his successor the Hokage continued, "We often believe it is our dead heroes who have allowed us to continue and in a way that is true. A hero would die rather than give up what they believe is right, but at the same time they would much rather live for those ideals. It is those ideals that inspire us, not the thoughts of death."

Seeing Naruto standing surrounded by friends, seeing Bunji back together with Ayeka and his brother's family, seeing his own son Asuma standing with his grandson Konohamaru on his shoulders as his wife and daughter stood with them, seeing the citizenry of Konoha standing before him shoulder to shoulder the old man smiled and said, "We stand strong today because we stand together. We fight not for ourselves but for our friends, for our families, for our precious people and at the same time they fight for us. These ideals are Konoha's 'Will of Fire' and I am incredibly proud that I have lived to see that it is alive and burning brightly within the hearts, minds, and souls of those before me today. I fervently believe that all those who we have lost share my pride in you as that is what they fought for and that is what they chose to give their lives for."

Cheers and applause erupted from the gathered crowd at the words of their Hokage before dieing off as he moved to finish.

"We have not forgotten those we have lost," the old 'Professor' said in an almost pious tone. "However, we still have much to learn from them. We must learn to forgive each other and ourselves for our failings. We must all learn to see the truth not only in ourselves, but in others. Truth is shown to us everyday, but it is still up to each and every one of us to recognize that truth. Our actions will dictate how our village survives and grows, so I will ask you now to please strive not only to do some thing, but the right thing."

Stepping away from the railing on the small tower the Hokage was met with a thunderous applause as the people of Konoha, both civilian and shinobi alike, cheered the words of their wise leader. Moving to stand back while Tsubasa moved forward to deliver the last speech of the evening the old man could not help but wonder if those people who were cheering him so greatly, who remarking to one another about how wise he was, would actually heed his words and truly discover the truth and wisdom that lay within them.

"I would like to thank Hokage-sama for his inspirational words just now. Such wisdom can only be expected from one who has so diligently served us for so many years," the Uchiha Steward said as he began his own speech, riding upon the feelings that the old man had stirred up. "I would also like to thank the Village Council which elected me Grand Marshal for this year's festival. As I said in my opening speech this morning it has been an honor that I believe I will never be able to have matched."

Hearing applause to his words Tsubasa continued, "And now before I give the signal to start this year's 'Great Fire' I would like to say only a few last words."

Giving a grunt the rat like man said loudly, "The Kyuubi was defeated so many years ago, but we must remember to remain ever vigilant for the evil that lurks within this world does not disappear entirely. It dwells in shadows and in back alleys and in many places where decent people fear to tread. However, evil takes on a more sinister face when it hides amidst us wrapped in the guise of something we think can not harm us. Stand strong and firm dear Konoha! Stand against evil and drive it out from our midst and into the light where it may be finally destroyed!"

As those final words hit the crowd the gathered people went into a frenzy as the chosen shinobi launched several Katon jutsus to set the wooden Nine-tailed Fox afire. Yet as they cheered and shouted while watching the scene one person amongst them remained silent and could only watch in horror.

Around him Uzumaki/Shugorei Naruto saw people cheering at the burning effigy of the great bijuu that resided within him. His friends were all cheering and shouting for more as the fire licked its way up the sides of the statue and began to let loose even louder voices of approval as part of the demon began to cave in under the touch of the flames.

Feeling uneasy and almost sick the boy's mind began to play tricks upon him as he thought he felt eyes boring into him. He could feel the heat of the flames as if they were licking at him instead of the wood and varnish of the statue. Knowing deep down that the words that the Uchiha Steward had uttered had been directed towards him, the whiskered blond began to grow even more unnerved as he thought he heard the cheers of the crowd, of his friends, now calling for him to be burned. Turning and pushing his way past people Naruto never heard the concerned shout of Hinata as the pale eyed girl saw him begin to flee in terror.

Pushing through the crowd of festival goers the blond demon vessel ignored the shouts, glares, and insults that were being thrown his way as he knocked into people that crowded the street. Sorrow turning to rage within him the boy didn't notice the small trickle of crimson chakra that was worming its way into his system, pushing his thoughts away from his loss to how much he hated and despised those who wished to make his life miserable.

"_It's their fault!"_ the blond seethed internally. _"They don't know anything about me! They just assume I'm a demon and want to destroy me!"_

Not noticing the fact had just pushed though a young couple holding hands the Shugorei heir ground his teeth moved forward as his mind raged and something dark whispered encouragement to him.

"_I won't let them destroy me! I'll…I'll kill them!" _Naruto thought darkly as his anger and hate pushed to overwhelm him. _"Yes, I'll kill them…I'll kill them all!"_

Stopping in his tracks and turning to stare up at the Hokage Mountain no one noticed that the normally blue eyes of the blond boy were beginning to flash red as the pupils began to slit.

"_No, first I'll bring their hero crashing down upon their heads,"_ the youth thought as his whiskers began to darken while he glared with hate at the stone face of the man whom he resembled. _"Yes, it's your fault, all of it! If only you had run, if only you had thought about me and not these pathetic fools! I hate you! I hate you and I'll destroy everything you died for!"_

Overshadowed by his emotional storm Naruto used Shunpo to reach the top of the stone head of his father and didn't catch the growling chuckle of his tenant as it whispered to him, **"That's the way boy…show them what you truly are. Let go, let go and give in…give into your anger, give into your hate! Give into ME!!!"**

Time seemed to slow down as Naruto began to focus his chakra within himself and preparing to let loose a storm of destruction. Within him the gruff voice of his Zanpakuto was screaming at him to stop, to think about what he was doing, that he was being manipulated, but such sounds were lost amidst the dark whispers and gleeful rage of the other who resided within him. Before he could carry out his dark desires the near crazed demon vessel felt something give him the lightest, but most gentle of touches.

"_Will you grasp the light or be swallowed by this darkness,"_ a soft, feminine voice suddenly cut through the berserk mind of the rage filled demon vessel, silencing the whispers as well as the shouts of the two who were trying to influence him.

"_Who…who's there?" _Naruto mentally asked in fear as warm tears fell down his face and he collapsed onto his knees, like a puppet that had just had its strings cut, as the sinister power that had been coursing through him seemed to vanish.

"_Anger is a natural reaction to evil, but anger is deceptive. It offers power and strength for the small price of obedience,"_ the kind voice spoke to the blond vessel's mind. _"But that is not the full truth as it soon demands more and nothing less then your complete submission."_

"_Who are you? Where are you?"_ responded the blond as he desperately tried to cling to the comfort the voice offered him.

"_You may think you can control it, but in the end it will enslave you, making you an instrument of hate and suffering,"_ mentally supplied the voice of the unknown woman. _"But some people can overcome the anger, the hate, the suffering and grasp their heart's desire, becoming even more powerful than evil."_

"_Please…who are you? Why are you here?"_ pleaded Naruto as he felt a warm feeling spreading throughout his body, a feeling he badly wanted to continue as the voice seemed to fade away. _"Please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone!"_

"_You are Shugorei little Naruto-kun,"_ a familiar and strong yet gentle sounding, male voice answered. _"You are never alone."_

As those words shot through the twelve year old boy's mind an image flashed before his tear filled eyes. A man with closely cropped platinum blond hair and goatee was standing strong in dark robes with a white haori and a sword at his hip while a woman with fiery red hair wearing similar robes and a sword at her hip stood next to him with a sad smile and a look of concern that was shared by both her and the man. Though the image lasted less than a second it burned deeply into the tormented mind of Naruto.

While tears ran down his face as he began to cry for himself and what he had just been about to do, the blond Shugorei heir heard a voice calling to him. Turning to the source Naruto found a concerned old Hokage standing next to him. Launching himself into the robes of the grandfatherly man the twelve year old let everything go as all the pain poured out in the form of his muffled crying.

* * *

It was well past midnight and the festival surrounding the defeat of the Kyuubi had finally come to a close. Standing in the Konoha graveyard before the crypt to the Yondaime Hokage and his wife a lone figure stared past all of the flowers, candles, and trinkets that had been placed there by people wishing to express their thanks to the fallen man and woman.

Holding a bouquet of chrysanthemums similar to those he had placed in the Shugorei tomb after he had returned to Konoha one Uzumaki/Shugorei Naruto stood silently in thought before the grave of his parents.

It had been only about an hour or two since he had nearly given into the Kyuubi no Youko, only that long since he had heard words from a person he had never met before, only that long since he had seen that image of his mother and great-grandfather, only that long since he had broken down and cried his heart out into the robes of the man who was his grandfather in all but blood.

The Sandaime had comforted the blond until the tears had stopped flowing and even then he still held the boy in a tight grip to ward off the fears that he still had. He hadn't asked what had happened, accepting that Naruto would tell him in time. The old man had transported the boy back home to an eagerly awaiting HK-47. He had watched the guardian take the boy away before leaving to deal with the rest of the village, thankful that Naruto had remained in enough control to keep the Kyuubi from breaking free and the demonic chakra had been too faint to be noticed by anyone who had not been standing on the mountain with him and the boy.

As he stood in the graveyard Naruto felt some guilt over the fact that instead of going to bed like the old man had told HK to make sure he did he had left the compound with the unsealed bouquet in his hands.

Even knowing that no one was about to hear him the Shugorei heir spoke quietly anyways, "I…I haven't been the best son. I've never bothered to visit or talk to you even after I learned the truth, even after I returned."

Placing the bouquet down by the names of his parents the twelve year old continued, "I still don't know what to think about you Otousan. Part of me understands what you did and part of me refuses to forgive you for it and hates you with every waking moment. For now my love for Okaasan will have to be enough as you at least were worthy enough in her eyes and so I can accept you at least on the basis of that."

Backing away from the grave the whiskered blond finished, "I don't want to think about what could have happened had things gone differently tonight. Thank you for what you did Kaasan; I'll try to visit more and figure out how you spoke to me. I'll also try to reconcile with my feelings about Tousan, but I don't know how long that may take or if I ever truly will."

Walking away from the grave and into the main part of the graveyard Naruto let his feet guide him down the twisting pathways. Pausing in his steps before the gates of a clan section of the graveyard that bore the emblem of a red and white fan his eye caught the glimpse of a strange shadow within.

Moving in to investigate as the fact that the wrought iron gates were left ajar and it could mean that someone or something was up to some sort of mischief the blond boy moved towards where he had seen the odd shadow cast by the moonlight. Coming around a large stone marker the Shugorei heir found a sight he had not expected.

Sitting blurry eyed in a sprawled out position as his head seemed to sway lightly from side to side was one Uchiha Sasuke.

Around the raven haired boy Naruto spied several large and now empty containers. Judging by the smell that seemed to permeate from the Uchiha, the whiskered blond would have bet even money that they had at one time been filled with alcohol that was know moving throughout Sasuke's system. Shifting his gaze slightly the Shugorei boy spied several large, white pills that had fallen out of a bottle that was only being lightly held in the other boy's hand. Moving to take the bottle and examine what it could possibly be he made a shocking discovery as he noticed a few small, brown paper squares that had a bit of white liquid dripping from them.

Immediately touching the substance and rubbing it between his fingers while giving it a careful sniff the worries of the whiskered youth were confirmed. He had seen the white substance before and had gotten a lecture on its history, its uses, and its dangers from Jinjiro when they had passé through Grass Country and the young boy had commented on how a field of bright, red poppies was so beautiful. It was opium and from the size and number of coin sized packets that he could see he could easily conclude that Sasuke was currently strung out farther than the lines of paper lanterns that had illuminated the streets of Konoha during the festival.

Standing up Naruto began to contemplate what exactly he should do about the situation he was being presented with.

"_**There but for the grace of Kami-sama…,"**_ the gruff voice of the blond boy's Zanpakuto commented as its creator continued to gaze at the form of the Uchiha.

Thinking hard the blond remembered something the matron had once told him when he had still lived in the orphanage.

"_Remember Naru-chan," _the old woman had said as she and the little boy had been making cookies._"You don't have to try to be a great man, just try to be a good one. We can't simply receive, we also have to give."_

Making his mind up the Shugorei heir reached down to grasp the raven haired boy's arms and belt. Slinging the drawn out Uchiha heir over his shoulders in a 'modified fireman's carry' the blond heard a low moan emanate from his passenger as they made their way out of the graveyard before using Shunpo to disappear into the night.

* * *

**AN:**_Finally got this chapter finished. Because it took a bit longer than I had originally planned I threw in some extra special details and scenes making it a bit longer since you all have been so patient. Truth be told I almost didn't even get this chapter finished. The old saying of 'when it rains it pours' seems to have been quite applicable to me since my last update. At first I just had research projects to finish and some stuff to complete before ending the semester. However, part way through that I got a call that my mother had been in an auto accident. She turned out to be fine and only suffered some minor bruising since the car did exactly what it was designed to do when the other driver hit her. With that filling me with worry I then got another call from my family a few days later telling me that two old and very close friends of the family had suddenly passed away. I wasn't able to make it back home for the funerals, but it still hurt a great deal. On top of all of this I am now almost snowed in as a great blizzard has hit the northeast of the United States stopping me from leaving my apartment at school to go home to my family for the holidays. I tell you if not for a number of you reviewers I probably would have gotten pretty depressed. _

_Anyways, I would also like to make a certain note here. A few days ago I received a PM from a fan of the story explaining that they were too embarrassed to ask some questions in a public review. While I won't repeat a few of them here I will tell you all about some of the things they did ask. First, the messenger commented about how they loved the story and wanted to make shrine to it as suggested by the Kraken's Ghost fic rating scale. While I am touched by the sentiment I don't think sacrificing the innocent to me would be a good idea. Mainly this is because I don't think there are any innocents to be found on the internet and there were none here to begin with, that's just some urban legend concocted by those who think the internet is bad. The other thing that was mentioned was that the person really liked how my chapter titles reflect the themes and happenings of the different chapters. The messenger asked how I came up with them and many of my other ideas. To be honest much of it comes from my imagination, which has been stimulated by factors to numerous to count. Also, my chapter titles are usually derived from some music I heard while writing the specific chapter. I invite all of you to try and take guesses at what songs and artists have inspired which chapters, some are fairly easy while others may prove a bit more difficult. _

_I would also like to note here that for all of you out there enjoying my writing that I will be making a special 'holiday' one shot for the Christmas season. It will be in the 'T' section of Naruto and I hope many of you will enjoy it just as much as this story._

_**Tyrchon**_  
**_-,-_**


	11. Chapter 10: The Joker and The Thief

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 10 – The Joker and The Thief**_

* * *

He could hear something…no, someone. Looking around a well lit kitchen, that was eerily familiar, Uchiha Sasuke spotted his mother standing before the sink washing some tomatoes while humming a wordless tune. Watching the woman who had been dead for years the raven haired boy tried to bring himself to reason by telling himself that he was at best dreaming and at worst hallucinating. However, despite such thoughts he could not dismiss the scene or the warmth it created within as the soft voice of his mother reached his ears.

"Welcome home Sasuke," Uchiha Mikoto said with a warm smile as she looked over her shoulder. "Did you have a good day at the Academy?"

Standing there looking at his mother Sasuke wanted to say so much to her, to some how warn her of what was to come, but the only thing he managed to get out was, "Hai."

"Well that's good, I was a bit worried about sending you to school just as I was with your brother, but a mother is supposed to worry," the raven haired woman commented with a small, comforting laugh. "Your father will be late getting home tonight because of some business at Police Headquarters, but Itachi should be around if you want to look for him."

Hearing his brother's name said so innocently, as his mother would never have guessed that her first born son would brutally murder her, made Sasuke feel a cold shiver run up and down his spine. Standing in the kitchen the Uchiha boy couldn't seem to find his voice nor did it seem as if he could move, all he could do was stand and watch as his mother prepared supper and hummed her little tune.

"Sasuke," a deep voice said from behind the raven haired boy causing him to suddenly swivel against his own volition, as he knew to whom the voice belonged yet seeing the owner would ruin the ideal scene of his mother in the kitchen.

"I heard you're the number one student in your class," Uchiha Itachi said as he stepped into the room to stand next to his young brother. "Congratulations."

Staring at his brother Sasuke felt rage welling up within as the elder sibling moved to kneel by the kitchen table. All that the younger Uchiha brother could think of was how much he wished he could simply reach out and snap the neck of the teen quietly chatting with his mother. Unfortunately this wish seemed to go unanswered as Sasuke felt himself being pulled forward to kneel opposite his brother on the other side of the table.

"So when are you going to bring a friend over for dinner?" questioned Itachi as he turned his attention away from his mother and back to his sibling. "You must be very popular with the other students. I bet you even have your own little group of girls who think you are so handsome and wonderful."

Hearing the words from his brother Sasuke could only think about how wrong Itachi was. Many of the other students at the time when he had just entered the Academy saw him as being spoiled and didn't want to talk to him. The students who had eagerly approached him were either little toadies, hoping to gain his favor just because he was an Uchiha, or a group of girls who had started some inane fan club over him and now wanted him to fall in love with one of them. Of the two groups he couldn't decide exactly which one he detested the most.

"Oh I bet all the little kunoichi just love you," Mikoto teased her youngest child as she turned around to open the refrigerator.

"Kaasan!" Sasuke heard himself protest in his young voice as he agreed with the childish indignation that he had originally felt when this had been more than just a memory.

Giving a small laugh at her son's pouting anger Mikoto glanced over at him before saying, "Well I guess you are still a bit young to be thinking about girls, but your brother has a point. It would be nice for you to have a friend come over sometime, I'm sure you could get more training done with someone else considering your father and brother are becoming increasingly busy with the needs of the clan and village."

Sasuke remained silent as he had placed the memory in the timeline of his mind, in only a few weeks his parents and the rest of the Uchiha would be dead at the hands of his brother. The older Sasuke felt a bit saddened that he had never gotten to bring a friend over for his mother to meet. Sometimes he regretted not fulfilling that simple hope of his mother's.

"Yes, a friend would be great for you," chimed in Itachi as he speared Sasuke with a strong gaze and dubious smile.

As he found himself fixated on his brother's eyes Sasuke felt his breath catch in his chest as Itachi's black eyes proceeded to red with three small, black tomoe swirling about the pupil. When those tomoe, indicative of a mature set of Sharingan, suddenly bled into a rounded, three pointed shuriken shape centered about the pupil Sasuke suddenly felt terror.

Staring with the Mangekyou Sharingan activated Itachi spoke in a cold, mocking voice, "A friend for you would mean someone else for me to kill…."

As the words escaped Itachi's mouth Sasuke suddenly felt his world changing as he began to relive the night of the massacre and the mental torture he had been subjugated to.

Letting out a scream as horror gripped him, the raven haired boy bolted upright from his sleep as sweat fell from his brow and messy hair. Looking about the room to make sure that it had indeed been only a dream, and to make sure that Itachi hadn't slipped in to finish the job he had started, Sasuke felt himself beginning to calm down as his breathing returned to normal.

"_It was just another nightmare, it was just another nightmare, it was…,"_ the raven haired boy repeated silently to himself as he pulled the sheet of the bed up to wipe away the sweat that was dripping down his face.

Reaching off to the side without a glance the young Uchiha felt for his bottle of medication that he kept by the bedside for dealing with his night terrors. Finding nothing the boy turned his head to find that there wasn't anything but a lamp sitting on the nightstand next to the bed, a lamp that he didn't recognize.

Glancing about the room Sasuke soon realized that he wasn't in the bedroom of his apartment. The room he was in had dark hardwood furniture and varying pieces of artwork about it, all depicting martial scenes. Looking to himself, the raven haired boy found that he was wearing a pair of light blue, pajama pants and a matching button-up shirt. Confused by his unfamiliar surroundings, and the fact that he was wearing clothes that he hadn't seen before, the boy wordlessly hoped that he hadn't been abducted by one of his more 'devoted' fangirls, or even worse a fanboy.

"**Statement: It appears that you have finally awakened meatbag. I shall inform the master immediately,"** came the voice of HK-47 from the doorway of the bedroom as the rust colored guardian stared at the 'guest' his master had brought home.

Staring at the reddish orange, metallic sentinel as it stood with its imposing form blocking the only means of entry and exit that Sasuke could spy, the boy let his gaze roam the being for barely a moment. Suddenly finding his eyes glued to the unwavering gaze of the sentry Sasuke felt his mouth go dry as HK's eyes seemed to pulse slightly with their reddish light before the dark eyed boy let out an ear-shattering cry.

Staring at the screaming Uchiha, who had suddenly done a backwards scramble and was now pushing his back into the headboard of the bed and the wall behind it, HK-47 couldn't help but feel a small mixture of glee and annoyance at the fact that he had obviously terrified the boy.

* * *

Having just finished a hard workout based upon the training methods that Jinjiro had beat into him, Naruto felt a small headache forming as he dabbed away at some of the sweat that had formed on his brow. Truth be told while the workout had pushed him to the edge the headache seemed to have started when the young Shugorei had heard a loud yell as he walked down the corridor of living quarters section of the underground Shugorei facility.

"_I guess that scream must mean Sasuke is awake,"_ the blond thought as he quickened his pace to come to a slightly open door to a suite next to his own.

Stepping into the living room Naruto spied HK's back gleaming from the doorway that led into the suite's bedroom.

Giving a small chuckle at the thought that the psychotic guardian had been the first thing the awakening Uchiha might have seen the whiskered boy silently moved to be directly behind the rust colored entity.

"I thought I left you with instructions to alert me when he had woken up?" Naruto questioned with a small grin as HK turned his attention away from the still startled Uchiha to his beloved master.

"**Statement: The young meatbag awoke only moments before you arrived master,"** HK said promptly as he turned his large body to let the Shugorei heir to pass further into the bedroom. **"I was just about to leave to inform you, but considering you are here now such a thing would be redundant. Query: May I terminate him now master?"**

Seeing Sasuke's eyes go even wider Naruto slapped his palm against his forehead in frustration as he had hoped to try and have a pleasant conversation with the Uchiha heir. Now it seemed he would have to calm the other boy down and reassure him that he wasn't in any danger first.

Letting out a sigh Naruto glanced to his guardian and said, "One of these days I'm going to dismantle you after you say something like that."

"**Supplication: Please, master, have I not pleased you?"** HK said as he his voice seemed to take on a pleading tone. **"I cannot control the acts I have performed."**

"That is debatable," the Shugorei heir stated firmly as his right eye began to twitch. "You avoided killing all those villagers that tried to infiltrate the grounds on the day of the festival and the days leading up to it even though I wasn't here."

"**Statement: You did tell me to avoid any unnecessary casualties that could reflect poorly onto you and the clan, master,"** supplied the rusty colored guardian glibly. **"At any rate I act only as you instruct me…even if that means being…**(gulp)**…non-violent."**

Moving around HK to stand at the foot of the bed that Sasuke had been sleeping in, and was know perched on with a confused look, Naruto remarked sarcastically in a low tone, "How self-sacrificing of you."

Even though Naruto couldn't see him, HK seemed to perk up as he responded, **"Affirmation: HK-47 exists only to serve, master."**

Staring at the odd duo that was in the bedroom he had awakened in Sasuke suddenly yelled, "What the hell is going on?! What the hell are you doing here?! Where the hell, are my clothes?! What the hell is that thing?!"

Giving a frustrated sigh as his headache seemed to increase Naruto commented, "You sure do like to say 'hell', don't you. Anyways, the explanation for all of these questions is quite long and considering that you have been asleep here for almost a day and a half might I suggest you avail yourself of the bathroom and freshen up."

Following where the blond boy was pointing Sasuke spied the doorway to what appeared to be a bathroom.

"You will find all that you require in there as well as a pair of pajamas as your other clothes were so disgusting that I burned them rather than waste the time trying to wash them," stated Naruto calmly as he turned to leave the room. "When you are finished you will find me in the small kitchen just outside of this room. I haven't eaten a proper meal today and I can't even begin to fathom when the last time was you ingested something proper."

Watching the blond starting to move past the reddish orange creature standing near the doorway Sasuke exclaimed, "Wait! If you destroyed my clothes who was it that put me into these pajamas?"

Stopping in the doorway yet not bothering to turn and face his 'guest' the young Shugorei heir answered, "I have no desire to ever see you naked Uchiha, as such I had HK here strip you and then wash the filth off of you while I retrieved an extra pair of my pajamas for you to wear. He dressed you afterwards and I have checked up on you periodically to make sure you didn't die in your sleep. Oh, I did hit you in the stomach to make you throw up what remained in your stomach so your system could focus on what was already in it."

Staring in silence as Naruto left the room Sasuke turned his confused gaze to HK, who seemed to merely stare back at him.

"**Statement: Jolly good,"** the somewhat psychotic sentinel remarked cryptically before turning away and closing the door behind it as it exited.

* * *

Naruto watched with bemusement as Sasuke seemed to gobble down plate after plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. Having finished a light meal of three plates himself, considering the training he had done had left him with quite the appetite, the blond watched the raven haired boy finish off a fourth plate before leaning back into the chair that he sat in. Part of him sympathized, as having only just come out of his own state of unconsciousness a few days ago. However, as he watched the lone Uchiha it became increasingly apparent to Naruto that the other boy was somewhat edgy and seemed to require something more than just food.

Sasuke, it seemed, had taken the advice offered to him and cleaned up before coming out of the bedroom. The boy no longer smelled of sweat and was sporting a new set of light blue pajamas. Before he could ask any questions he had found a plate of hot food pushed in front of him as he was directed towards the small island table that sat in the small kitchen. Having ate his fill the Uchiha now wanted answers.

Before the raven haired boy could ask Naruto began to speak, saying, "I know you are probably very confused at the moment, but I will try and answer some of the questions you asked me before, though I have already explained about your clothing."

Not waiting for a response Naruto continued with, "I think the first question I should address is where you are."

Taking a sip of his hot tea the Shugorei heir spoke calmly, "You are currently in a section of my home. I will not give you much more detail than that for the moment as I am unsure if I can trust you with further information."

"So I have an odd idea of where I am, but no idea as to why," Sasuke interjected coldly as he spitted his 'host' with a hard gaze.

"You are here because I found you alone in the Konoha graveyard and I couldn't in good conscious leave you there," responded Naruto as he decided to keep some of the details he knew hidden to see how the Uchiha would react.

Beginning to rise up from his chair Sasuke replied harshly, "I don't know what you are talking about, but I'm leaving Uzumaki! I have no time to play silly games with a loser like you…!"

Before the lone Uchiha could expound upon his statement he soon found himself pressed back into his seat by a strong, metal hand upon his shoulder. Following the hand upwards Sasuke found himself staring into the glowing eyes of HK-47.

"You will find that leaving will be a bit more difficult than you can possibly imagine," stated Naruto as he sipped at his tea some more.

"What the hell are you talking about and what the hell is this…thing?!" the raven haired Academy student yelled as he glared between the blond and the sentinel.

Before he could offer an explanation Naruto found HK saying, **"Statement: Just your normal chakra based entity…nothing to see here…move along, move along."**

Feeling a grin tug at his mouth, considering the rust colored HK was remarking that Sasuke should both ignore things and go away while still maintaining a hold on the Uchiha's shoulder, Naruto commented, "As he has just said for himself, HK here is a chakra based entity and the guardian of my home. If you hadn't noticed earlier he isn't the most patient creature when annoyed and has the tendency to want to hurt or kill something when frustrated…."

"**Observation: Do not forget fun, master," **HK suddenly interjected. **"I do so enjoy causing havoc and watching meatbags flee in terror before I terminate them."**

Giving a small smirk as HK's reminder seemed to cause Sasuke to freeze for a moment Naruto continued, "As I was saying, you don't want to get on his bad side and to avoid that I require that you answer a few questions for me before I let you leave."

Exploding at Naruto in rage Sasuke yelled, "You can't do this to me, I'm an Uchiha! I don't have to do anything you say and I am leaving now!"

Despite the defiant words that had just been spouted Sasuke found he could not stand up as HK was far too strong and had far too good a grip on his shoulder. Deciding that fighting the entity would be futile at the moment the dark haired boy remained seated and let his anger grow as he planned what he would do to Naruto once he was free.

"Well that was entertaining," a sarcastic Naruto remarked. "Almost as entertaining as seeing you, the great and powerful Uchiha, passed out before his parents' grave as he had not only imbibed too much alcohol, but also consumed a large amount of anti-depressants."

As the words left his mouth Naruto could immediately see he had made a direct hit as Sasuke's demeanor suddenly began to shift to a mixture of anger, embarrassment, and confusion.

"I…I don't know what you're talking about," lied the Uchiha heir as he suddenly found that staring at his hands was preferable to meeting the strong gaze of his blue eyed 'host'.

"Then I guess I should just throw these away then?" the blond said with a sharp look as he brought a small bottle of large white pills to rest onto the table. "If these aren't yours then there is no reason to keep them as I wouldn't want to be caught with…."

Before he could finish Naruto watched as Sasuke tried a desperate lunge across the small table to try and grab the bottle of pills. Pulling the bottle back out of reach as HK pulled the Uchiha back into his seat the blond Shugorei narrowed his eyes at the implications of the raven haired boy's action.

"It seems you are familiar with them after all," commented the whiskered blond as he caught a stare with a mixture of anger and pleading from the Uchiha. "Such knowledge is disconcerting as from the label on the bottle this prescription was filled in Claw Country for someone else. It makes me wonder why you have it and why you are so desperate to get it back."

Though he had been pushed back into his chair Sasuke still had his hand outstretched towards the bottle of anti-depressants that were in Naruto's grasp. Eyeing the bottle longingly the Uchiha heir didn't seem to notice as his entire arm began to shake and twist with the signs of dependency for the pills contained in the bottle.

"Look…I need my medication, I'm sick…really I am," the dark haired boy seemed to try and reason to an unflinching Naruto.

Seeing no reaction from the blond Sasuke offered, "What do you want? Do you want money, power, the support of the Uchiha, what do you want? I'll give you anything…anything, just ask for it and it's yours…just give me my medication, okay?"

Hearing the Uchiha beg for the pills made something in the pit of Naruto's stomach squirm, here was a prime shinobi candidate and member of a noble clan talking as if he was trying to bargain with a dealer to get his next fix.

"This is quite the strong dosage for someone like you to be taking," the Shugorei turned Uzumaki stated firmly as he turned the bottle over in his hands to see the directions for self-medicating. "Hmm, I bet you also don't follow the instructions here for only taking two every eight hours."

"Just give me my damn pills!" Sasuke exploded in a scream as he tried to launch himself at the blond boy once again. "I don't need a fucking lecture, I need those fucking pills and I need them now!"

Naruto was taken aback by the fire that seemed to spring to life in Sasuke's eyes as the boy yelled at him in the attempt at gaining the drugs. Taking the bottle and putting it in the pocket on the inside of his vest the blond Shugorei watched his Uchiha counterpart follow the action as if the meds were calling in a voice that only the raven haired boy could hear.

"It seems to me that the pills are just part of the problem Sasuke," the Shugorei heir said as he rose up from his chair to clear away the dishes from the table. "There is also the issue of all the alcohol you consumed. Personally I have little problem with a person enjoying a drink now and then, even having the occasional drunken night out. However, your little episode put you far too close to danger then you realize and that is something I can't condone.'

Giving a harsh glare into the back of his 'host' Sasuke spat out, "What do you care if I have a little drink? So I may have gone a bit overboard, but that's hardly a reason to…."

"You are a fucking Uchiha and potential shinobi of Konoha! Your actions are cause for concern!" roared Naruto as he smashed a dish into the wall before his 'guest' could finish. "I've been trying to get you to realize your problem, but it seems I have to lay it out for you!"

Marching over to slam his hands down on the table and lean over to invade Sasuke's personal space Naruto growled, "You didn't have a single drunken night, I found you passed out and strung out on alcohol, anti-depressants, and opium! Opium for the love of Kami, what the hell were you thinking?!"

Seeing Sasuke try to back away and look away the irate Shugorei grabbed the collar of the boy and pulled him forcefully around to stare eye to eye.

"You may not realize it, but I can see the signs from the way you have spoken to me just now and the way your body has been acting. You, Sasuke, have an addiction and that is a major problem," the whiskered blond stated harshly before forcefully releasing his grip on the Uchiha.

Rubbing at his throat where the fabric had caught him Sasuke coughed lightly before saying quietly, "So what? Why should you care?"

Letting out a hard sigh Naruto flopped into the chair he had been previously sitting in as he said, "You're right, why should I care about you. You're an Uchiha and I'm just some nobody to you. I guess I should just let you go and forget all about this…."

"Well than I'll be leaving," Sasuke interrupted, not catching the sarcasm that had dripped from the other boy's statement, only to find that once again he was being barred from moving from his chair by HK-47.

"However, I can't simply look away and pretend this didn't happen," the Shugorei heir stated firmly as he ignored the Uchiha heir's interruption. "Technically I should have taken you to the hospital and then informed the ANBU to the situation as you currently pose a security risk to Konoha because of your little problem. However, doing so would have immediately raised numerous flags. Word would spread of your drug problem and you would be pulled from the Academy to undergo treatment, you would be barred from continuing as a ninja because Konoha wouldn't want to risk you becoming dependent on some new drug and falling into enemy hands."

Moving from his seat to start cleaning up the remains of the plate he had broken Naruto continued to say, "Then would come the investigations into where you got the drugs, who supplied them to you, were you involved in any other illicit affairs, could you have sold clan secrets as well as village secrets to support your habit. In the end your reputation and that of Clan Uchiha would be so ruined that if you actually tried to recreate the clan the taint would follow each and every generation as people looked at you with suspicion, the two Uchiha brothers, one a mass murderer and the other a junkie."

As the cold reality hit him Sasuke slumped in his chair. If things had gone differently everything Naruto said would have come true. His clan would be ruined and his shame and dishonor would not end simply with him.

"Why?" asked Sasuke suddenly, as Naruto placed the broken pieces of the plate into the garbage. "There has to be a reason to why you would bother to cover this up other than me being an Uchiha."

"That is a far more complicated answer," Naruto replied as he kept his back to Sasuke, though he could hear the concern the raven haired boy had in his voice. "I could tell you that I don't want to see the Uchiha devastated any worse then they already have been, but that wouldn't be completely true. I could say that I did it because you would then owe me or it might be because I could blackmail you over it, but I'm not that cruel or at least I hope I'm not."

Turning to face his guest the young, blond Shugorei responded, "In a way the truth is that seeing you like you were struck something in me that gave me cause for concern. You and I are far more alike than either of us would like to admit. All I ask is that you trust me when I say that I only wish to help you."

Giving a small wave of his hand Naruto watched as HK moved away from the seated Uchiha. Surprisingly the dark haired boy did not immediately try to stand or even launch himself at his 'host' as he had done in the past. Rather he continued to remain seated, lost in thought at what he had just been told.

Turning around to wash the dishes that he had gotten into the sink before he had exploded in anger Naruto suddenly heard Sasuke speak.

"You seem to know so much about me, but I know almost nothing about you," the Uchiha said quietly as he continued to sit at the table. "You say we are alike, but what proof do you offer to try and convince me that you are telling the truth."

Turning in his chair slightly to point at HK Sasuke's voice began to rise in volume as he remarked, "You have this…this thing here as well as these surroundings. You were able to beat me in a Taijutsu spar and you seem to match me in skills at the Academy, but you give no real explanation as to who or what you are."

Slamming his hands down onto the table with a loud 'slap' the lone Uchiha yelled, "I want some answers now or I'm leaving."

Pausing in his cleaning of the dishes Naruto turned to his 'guest' and replied, "While HK is no longer holding you down I highly doubt you would be able to leave my home without getting hopelessly lost on the way out should you actually get past both him and me. However, you do bring up the point that I have given little reason for you to trust me other than the whole saving your life and preventing a massive scandal to befall you, not mention taking you into my home and showing you some hospitality."

Feeling slightly abashed at Naruto's words Sasuke was surprised when the blond moved towards the large doorway near the front of the living room that the kitchen was off in the corner of. Worried that he may have insulted the other boy too much and gone too far the Uchiha was even more surprised when the blond motioned for him to follow instead of ordering the reddish orange, psychotic sentry to kill him.

"We must give in order to receive, so if you'll follow me I will show you a few things that may answer some of your questions," said the whiskered boy as HK moved to stand behind his master.

Getting up from his chair and finding his sandals waiting by the door Sasuke quickly put the footwear on before moving out the door and into the long corridor where the blond and the reddish orange guardian were waiting. Stepping into the corridor the Uchiha felt his breath catch slightly as he saw that the hallway wasn't part of an apartment building as he had originally thought, but instead seemed to stretch endlessly in either direction. Before he could ask what was going on the raven haired boy found that he had to sprint slightly to catch up to Naruto, who had already moved down the corridor and away from the rooms they had just been in.

Following the Shugorei heir through corridor after corridor and turn after turn Sasuke noted that they had passed by numerous doorways. Every door had symbols on it or an elaborate etching of some sort. Unfortunately the Uchiha heir couldn't get a clear look at any of them as his 'host' was moving too quickly and the large, rust colored guardian was prodding him to keep up.

Coming to a halt in a rather large room that had been blocked by a pair of large iron doors, with what had appeared to be numerous sword designs crafted into them as motifs, Sasuke nearly collided with Naruto's back as the room seemed to be barely lit.

Not waiting for the other boy to apologize or ask where they were Naruto turned and said, "This is one of the numerous training rooms that my clan built into this facility years ago. While it lacks many of the obstacles and advanced training features of the other training rooms it holds something that was meant to inspire and remind trainees of who they are and what it means to be part of the clan."

"Your clan?" questioned Sasuke in confusion as he followed into the room. "But there isn't any Uzumaki Clan in Konoha or Fire Country."

Giving a small, fox like grin as he made a single handed seal to raise the lights of the room to full Naruto replied smugly, "Who said I was referring to such a thing as an Uzumaki Clan?"

Before he could offer any rebuttal Sasuke eyes were blinded for a moment as the lights of the room glared brilliantly. Blinking to clear his eyesight the young Uchiha suddenly felt him mouth fall open at what was on the wall behind the boy who was now claiming to not truly be an Uzumaki.

Stretching from the floor of the room all the way to the ceiling nearly thirty feet up and them going from wall to wall, a distance of nearly a hundred and twenty feet, was a giant fresco that looked as if it had only been painted mere minutes before they had arrived. The colors appeared fresh and made the scene appear with a distinction that was breathtaking; the artist who had designed it and painted it could only have been a true master and genius.

The fresco depicted a large army of black armored warriors carrying swords of every shape and design. Some of the weapons appeared to be transforming into different weapons while some warriors had curious things about them such as the speckling of white haori that some of the warriors wore. One such warrior, with long black hair with a white scarf and something white holding back his hair, was standing on a giant pillar of stone with what appeared to be a humongous mass of pink, sakura petals floating around him. Another warrior with red hair in a simple ponytail and sporting black tattoos stood with a mantle of fur on his shoulders as a large snake of bone with red hair by the head coiled around him. A third warrior with orange hair seemed to have a large cleaver like sword resting on his shoulders as he held a hand up to obscure part of his face that seemed to have something white and red on it. Next to the orange warrior a black haired woman stood with a sword of pure white with a long white tassel. Though Sasuke could spy hundreds more warriors, each with oddities about them or the weapons they were holding, one figure caught his attention.

Standing in the center of the fresco a figure of an old man with a flowing white haori, midnight black armor, and a pair of sheathed katana stood with his arms crossed. Flanking the man were two figures as the other warriors all seemed to radiate out from him. On one side a hulking warrior wearing a worn looking haori with a long, chipped katana, spiked hair, and an eye patch as a small pink haired girl in similar attire to the other warriors in the work art rode on his shoulder. On the other side of the old man was white haired teenager with a white haori that seemed to have wings of ice sprouting from his back as a large busted, orange haired woman stood next to him and seemed to grip the hilt of her sheathed katana. Though many of the warriors all seemed impressive and downright dangerous it was only the old man at the center with the white haori that stood out the most and caused Sasuke to feel a shiver run down his spine as he gazed at the gigantic work of art.

Catching the stare of the Uchiha and following it Naruto commented, "The old man depicted here is Shugorei Hideki, the founder of my clan and my ancestor. The other warriors are all members of my clan who have lived throughout the ages and earned personal lines of remembrance in 'The Shugorei Chronicles' which tell the history of my clan. Those who wear the white haori were at one time or another, the leaders of Clan Shugorei, each descending either from blood or soul from Hideki himself."

Moving closer to the giant fresco, which Sasuke could now see was not complete about the edges, Naruto pointed to a man with short platinum hair that stood with a massive bastard sword edged in gold and silver as pure white tendril like wings supported him in the air above several other warriors.

"That is my Hijijisama, Shugorei Jinjiro, albeit far younger than when I met him," supplied the Shugorei heir as he pointed to the image of his great-grandfather. "He was the one who trained me and introduced me to my Shugorei heritage."

"You're…you're a Shugorei?" whispered Sasuke in confusion as his eyes widened at the implication.

"The name Uzumaki was that of my grandfather before he was inducted into the clan by my grandmother, Jinjiro's daughter," explained Naruto calmly as he turned to look over his shoulder at the startled Uchiha. "I was given it to protect my identity until it comes time for it to be revealed that Clan Shugorei isn't nearly extinct, but has a new, young heir to take up the title of lord and reconstitute the clan."

"But why not let everyone know now that you are living in Konoha?" asked the Uchiha heir as he looked to Naruto. "Surely you would be safe here and the village would give you all that you need to…."

Halting Sasuke with a slightly raised hand in the sign of stop the young Shugorei answered, "In a sense that is true, but there are many enemies both outside and within Konoha who would love to try and get to me as vengeance against my heritage. While I think I could handle myself well enough there is something to be said for caution and the ability to work behind the scenes without anyone realizing who I really am. You as the Uchiha heir should understand the danger that members of a powerful clan face at any given moment."

Giving a small nod Uchiha Sasuke confirmed what the newly revealed Shugorei had said. He could remember several times in which his father had mentioned to him the danger that his bloodline limit would put him in. After the massacre he had found it to be true as an assassin had tried to get to him while he had been in the hospital only to be stopped by the ANBU that had been closely patrolling the area. Since then Sasuke had grown to have eyes in the back of his head just in case he had another encounter.

Turning to look at HK, who was standing silently by the entrance to the room, Naruto remarked, "Also, there are a few extra perks to it all, that and as you can attest it is an annoyance to be known for your clan and not for who you are."

Sasuke couldn't help but nod slowly in agreement once again. He couldn't remember the last time he was thought of anything other than an Uchiha, the whole massacre had exacerbated the problem as he became the only Uchiha left to Konoha. Far too many times since then he had been approached by someone seeking to gain his favor and hopefully an easy ride on the coattails of the Uchiha Clan, such people disgusted him.

"So you want to make a name for yourself outside of being the last of your clan," the Uchiha heir stated solemnly. "What are you going to do, become Hokage?"

The Uchiha couldn't know how close that small comment brought him to getting punched by Naruto. The Shugorei heir had mixed feelings on the issue of the Hokage, while the Sandaime was alright the boy still had issues to resolve with his father, the Yondaime, and the area of the Shodaime and Nidaime were even murkier.

"I simply seek to become the best there is, a shinobi without equal," the blond boy said as he turned an eye over to his 'guest'.

Moving over to the left wall adjacent to the fresco Naruto seemed to tap it. As Sasuke was about to ask why a hidden door suddenly opened, ending his comment before it could form.

"This is one of the ways out of the hidden facility that my clan built and is now my home," Naruto stated calmly as he indicated the open doorway. "If you step inside I will conduct you to the exit where you may then return home."

Stepping towards the door Sasuke asked, "What about all that you discovered about me?"

Leaning against the wall the whiskered boy responded, "I hardly find it necessary to spread the news and now you know something about me in return."

Giving a slow nod in acceptance the raven haired boy began to step past the doorway that would lead him to the exit. However, upon passing the door the boy was suddenly blinded by a bright light kicking on. Bringing his hand up to block it the Uchiha found that he had just entered a small, well padded room with no other entrance or exit other than the one he had just passed through. Before he could turn around and ask what was going on the door slammed shut behind him and locked with a loud 'click'.

"I'm sorry to have to do this to you Sasuke, I really am, but you leave me little choice in the matter," Naruto's voice seemed to filter through the walls. "I can't in good conscience just let you leave here in your current condition."

"So you're going to imprison me?!" yelled a furious Sasuke as he pounded on the padded walls.

"Only until I am sure you have all of the drugs out of your system…then I plan on breaking you of your drug habit," the calm voice of the Shugorei heir announced. "Like I said earlier, I seek to become the best and as such you need to choose to take your spot as a strong shinobi over the drugs, so I can have a worthy challenge."

"You can't do this to me! I'm a fucking Uchiha!" screamed the black haired boy as he tried to break open the door that had locked him into the room and disappeared into the surrounding wall.

"And that is why I need you clean," retorted Naruto's voice. "While I see you beyond the name of your clan I cannot overlook the fact that you are one of the last Sharingan user's left in the world. To allow you to simply fade away to nothing because of your addictions would mean I would have little opportunity to test myself against another. I suppose I could always try to find that brother of yours instead, he would make a worthy challenge considering his history perhaps one even better than you."

Hearing that his brother would potentially make for a better challenge Sasuke's rage flared to even greater heights as he yelled and pounded on the walls of the room, "I'll fucking kill you! Do you here me?! When I get out of this I'm going to rip you apart, I'll burn you to ash…I'll make you suffer like no one else!"

Outside of the room Naruto let a smirk play on his face as he listened to the lone Uchiha's ranting. Quite pleased with himself and the way he had maneuvered the dark haired boy into the padded cell the young Shugorei turned to begin walking away.

"**Query: Do think it wise to keep the Uchiha here master?** HK asked with a hint of concern mixed in with his curiosity. **"Surely his absence will be noticed in Konoha and a search will be conducted for him."**

"Perhaps, but that will not occur for a few more days at the earliest," remarked Naruto as he faintly made out some of the more imaginative curses that Sasuke had come up with. "However, if my suspicions are right I have little to worry about it affecting my plan."

"**Query: How do you figure that master?"** the rust colored guardian wondered as it tilted its head ever so slightly to show its confusion.

"First, when you are a social recluse and have few contacts with others, as our dear Sasuke is, it will take a while for people to notice your absence as more than your normal behavior," explained the whiskered blond as he began to exit the room with HK in tow. "Second, I have a deep suspicion that the person who has been Sasuke's supplier will not raise too many flags too soon as it could bring attention to the fact that he has been serving his own interests rather than those of Sasuke and Clan Uchiha."

"**Observation: You refer to that rat of a steward called Tsubasa do you not, master,"** commented HK as he followed the blond Shugorei down a corridor.**"Since you seem to have become concerned with the welfare of the Uchiha may I be the one to terminate his quisling servant?"**

Giving a sharp laugh as he was reminded of something he had found in the archives about HK-47 just before he had been hospitalized Naruto remarked, "Perhaps, but first I need to do some more intelligence gathering and if that doesn't work I may need to manufacture some. Luckily I know just the person who could assist me if things go that far, but from what I suspect that probably won't be necessary."

"**Statement: Very well master I look forward to seeing what you are developing and can only hope it will give me the chance to terminate some meatbags,"** commented the psychotic sentinel cheerfully. **"Query: I am confused at why exactly you have trapped the Uchiha in that particular room though, would not one of the other holding cells be more proper as they are closer to your quarters for observation?"**

"Normally they would be, but this is a special case and I require the special properties of that particular room to help with Sasuke's rehabilitation," supplied Naruto as he came to an actual exit that would place him by one of the hidden entrances that surrounded the compound. "He may think it is a normal, padded room, but he has no idea what is waiting in store for him."

"**Statement: You are a very clever master, master,"** intoned HK as Naruto turned to climb the ladder that would take him to the surface. **"You make me proud to serve you."**

Giving a small smile as he ascended the ladder towards the hidden entrance and exit above the young Shugorei heir turned Uzumaki felt confident that he would soon have things right where he needed them to be.

* * *

It had been five days since Naruto had trapped Sasuke into the small padded cell deep within the depths of the Shugorei's subterranean facility. During that time the Uchiha had experienced why Naruto had commented that the chamber was special.

When Naruto had been researching in the archives he had found a scroll that designated the chamber as one with concealed seals that would amplify a Shugorei's ability to use the Kyogi no Tama. Originally it had been designed for young warriors to be tested in it by being bombarded by there own memories and the manipulations of a senior member of the clan. However, due to the fact that he had difficulty using the Kyogi no Tama to manipulate anyone, Naruto had made a mental note that it would work nicely to interrogate a person and observe their memories. Finding Uchiha Sasuke had allowed the young Shugorei heir to finally test his theory on the chamber.

Everyday that Sasuke spent in the chamber he was bombarded with the memories he had been trying to forget. Without the aid of his drugs and the fact that he was suffering from withdrawal symptoms, the young, raven haired boy was suffering far worse than he had since Itachi had originally tortured him. As the boy yelled himself hoarse HK kept a silent vigil to make sure that any suicide attempts were foiled before they could occur.

From time to time Naruto would sit in meditation as he activated the full power of the cell and coupled it with the Kyogi no Tama to see into Sasuke's mind. What the Shugorei found had been rather disturbing.

Naruto had relived the night of the Uchiha massacre by Sasuke's side. He had seen Itachi standing over the bodies of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto. He had even felt the pain of the technique that Itachi had used to make Sasuke witness everything over and over again. Those particular memories had made the Shugorei heir vomit several times no matter how he tried to steel himself in preparation for them.

Carefully moving throughout the depressed and angry Uchiha's mind Naruto had been very careful to not try and use the altering powers of the Kyogi no Tama. With Sasuke fighting depression and massive withdrawal symptoms it would be far too easy to make a mistake that would do irreparable harm. However, this didn't mean that Naruto did not try to push through a few mental blocks that hand been constructed about the Uchiha's mind, it only meant he didn't push as hard as he would if he was doing a true interrogation.

To the whiskered Shugorei's surprise he had found many things about Sasuke that no one seemed to know. Some of the things were trivial, others major blackmail, but more importantly Naruto seemed to find the crux to why Sasuke had started acting so cold after the massacre and had gotten addicted to alcohol and drugs. It seemed that Itachi had been more than just a brother to Sasuke; the elder sibling had been the boy's hero.

To see your hero become the complete antithesis of what he had been in your mind was beyond devastating. To Sasuke having been forced to witness it over and over again not only because of Itachi's jutsu but also because of the reoccurring nightmares it was little wonder why the lone Uchiha had slid into self-destruction.

During the times he wasn't combing through Sasuke's mind the young blond was out in Konoha gathering information that would help him when the right opportunity presented itself. To cover for Sasuke's absence at the Academy a reinforced Kage Bunshin had used Henge to appear as the anti-social boy. Attending class more to appease Iruka and to keep an eye on the clone, Naruto had soon discovered that no one seemed to have noticed that Sasuke had been replaced. What was truly disturbing was when a clone had met with Tsubasa. It seemed the Uchiha Steward didn't care at all about Sasuke and was indeed the one who was supplying the boy with drugs. Naruto made a special note to prepare a unique surprise for the rodent like man.

After five days of information gathering and watching Sasuke's mind Naruto finally decided that it was time to open the door to the boy's cell. Knowing that Sasuke had only been let out a few times by HK to be led, blindfolded and bound, to a bathroom to use the facilities and that this was the only time of contact that Sasuke had other than when food was brought to him, Naruto prepared himself for the worse when he began to manipulate the seals to open the hidden room.

"I'm not exactly sure what will happen here HK," commented Naruto as the door began to unlock. "Sasuke's mind was beginning to strengthen to my observations and that could mean almost anything according to the scrolls detailing the use of the chamber. Be prepared to restrain him if necessary, but I don't want him harmed, understand?"

"**Statement: I will be as gentle as possible with the meatbag, master," **noted the rust colored sentinel. **"However, should he pose a substantial risk to you I will carry out my primary protocol of protecting you first despite your objections."**

Giving a small nod Naruto pulled the door open fully and stared into the white, padded cell to find Sasuke curled up in a corner weeping lightly. The raven haired boy had a blanket that had been provided him to keep warm wrapped about him and was grasping it as if it were the most precious thing to him. The twelve year old Uchiha heir was a mess by many standards as his hair was disheveled and dirty, his face was stained with numerous tear tracks from the crying he had done, his voice was barely a whisper as he muttered to himself, considering he had seemed to alternate between furious screams and bouts of hard weeping. The pajamas he had been given five days ago were stained with sweat and Naruto would bet that a few of the darker stains were a combination of vomit and urine. All in all Sasuke looked less like the scion of a noble clan and more like some homeless beggar or a patient at an asylum.

Stepping into the room Naruto was immediately hit by a horrid smell, a combination of sweat, vomit, body odor, and urine. Mentally noting that he would simply burn the padding of the stone lined room and then replace it rather than trying to clean it, Naruto moved over to the huddled form of the Uchiha heir.

"Sasuke…Sasuke can you hear me?" asked the blond as he kneeled down and let concern bleed heavily into his voice as the other boy simply gave him a wide eyed stare before shrinking into the blanket. "Don't try to speak right now as you will only strain yourself. Drink this, it will help to ease some of the pains and aches you are feeling right now."

Offering the Uchiha a bamboo flask filled with a special herbal tea and a series of vitamins and medication to deal with any lingering traces of antidepressants and opium Naruto watched as the dark haired mess of a boy tried to grasp the proffered item only to find himself lacking the strength to hold it tightly. Giving a sigh as he knew that this was a possibility Naruto picked up the container as pressed the small opening to the Uchiha's lips. Pouring slowly the blond was amazed to see Sasuke readily gulp down the concoction.

Helping the Uchiha heir to a sitting position Naruto mentally noted that despite the confinement and withdrawal Sasuke was not as bad off physically as he had initially suspected. It seemed that the medication and supplements that had been mixed into the tea and the boy's daily meals had done its job of keeping the black haired boy alive and kicking.

Rising to his feet Naruto took a few steps back before addressing the lone Uchiha with, "Well you've survived five days of almost absolute hell. I can only hope that most of the drugs are worked out of your system, but look on the bright side at least you're still alive."

As his words hit the other boy Naruto noticed that new tears began to fall from the Uchiha's black colored eyes before hearing Sasuke rasp out, "Please…please…."

Cocking an eyebrow the Shugorei heir responded, "Please what Sasuke? Do you want this all to stop? Do you want my help? You say please, but I don't think you know what you want yet."

Taking on a more devious tone of voice the whiskered blond suddenly said, "Maybe I should leave you in here a few more days so you can sort it out?"

Just as the last words left his mouth Sasuke's eyes seemed to widen as he let out an inhuman howl. Rising to his feet and grabbing for Naruto as tears continued to fall from his eyes Sasuke felt a strong hand bat away his outstretched arms before pushing him back into the wall. Leaning there and then slumping down slightly daze the Uchiha was suddenly rocked as Naruto grabbed the front of his pajama shirt and pulled him up to meet a pair of eyes that seemed to pulse with cold, blue fire.

"You still have some fight left in you, you still have some of your pride and defiance. That's good," commented the Shugorei heir firmly as he stared into puffy, red rimmed eyes of his 'guest'. "The question now is will that be enough for you to survive on or do you need something more?"

Stuttering out Sasuke cried lightly, "Please…please just, just tell me what you want. Don't leave me…don't leave me here alone anymore. I'll do whatever…whatever you want."

Feeling disgust welling up inside as the defiance and pride Sasuke had shown was replaced with a sniveling piece of trash Naruto lashed out with a hard, open hand slap to the distraught boy's face. The blow sent Sasuke's head turning hard to the side before it was jerked back around by the firm grip that the whiskered blond was maintaining on his shirt.

"Pull yourself together gods damn it all!" yelled the Shugorei turned Uzumaki as he pitted the Uchiha with an unforgiving stare. "You are an Uchiha but more importantly you are a shinobi of Konohagakure, start acting like one."

With his words and the slap the tears on the young Uchiha's face seemed to dry up as Naruto asked in a hard tone, "You need to figure out who you are Sasuke, are you some little child who needs to be coddled and told right from wrong or are you someone who can take charge of his life and fulfill his hopes and dreams?!"

Staring back at Naruto the young Uchiha blinked for a moment before whispering, "I…I'm a shinobi."

"What was that?! I can't hear you!" shouted Naruto as he tightened his grasp onto Sasuke's collar.

"I'm a shinobi," Sasuke said with a slightly stronger voice, though it remained raspy from the events of the last few days.

"Then you need to make a choice, here and now!" demanded the blue eyed Shugorei as he stared into the eyes of the boy across from him. "You need to decide… you need to decide if you are going to stand up now and move forward, become stronger and rebuild your clan in the face of all the hardship and difficulty that life is throwing at you, or if you are going to climb back into that little hole of self-pity you've dug for yourself and prove Itachi right about your weakness by remaining attached to the crude crutch you've formed out of all the drugs and alcohol you've come to covet!"

Releasing his grip on the fabric of the clothes he had given the young Uchiha, Naruto turned on his heel as he saw the other boy's eyes widen at the choice presented to him.

Stopping in the wide open doorway the Shugorei commented in a dangerous tone of voice, "If you feel that you are up to growing stronger and rebuilding your clan, if you feel you want to stick it to that bastard you called a brother, if you want to see just how far you can truly go then I suggest you meet me out here in the training room. However, if you decide that you would rather be a slave to your addiction and your little pity party then stay here and rot for all I care."

Moving away from the door and out into the center of the training room Naruto took a seat in a cross-legged position to wait and see what Sasuke would do. Slipping into a light meditation the blond began to open his sense up to try and speak to his Zanpakuto and illicit some advice from the weapon. However, it seemed that the soul was still silent; it hadn't commented on anything or offered any advice since Naruto had found Sasuke in the graveyard not so long ago.

Waiting the young Shugorei couldn't help but wonder, _"What will you do Sasuke? Do you possess the courage to realize your demons and fight them or are you just as weak as your brother claimed?"_

Cracking an eye open as he suddenly sensed some movement near the edged of the training room Naruto looked to see the form of Sasuke standing in all of his messy glory. Remaining silent the Shugorei heir watched the dark haired Uchiha stumble towards him. Twice Sasuke fell to the ground only to push back up and continue walking at his slow pace, not once when he fell did the boy try to crawl or ask for help.

"_It seems he has found his pride and defiance after all,"_ thought Naruto as Sasuke slumped into a half sitting, half laying position only a foot or so away from him. _"Now we just need to see how far you are willing to go Sasuke."_

Letting his voice carry a crisp tone Naruto commented, "It seems you have chosen to be strong, but I must warn you Sasuke. The path you have chosen is not easy, there will be times that you could stumble and fall. You could revert back to your weakness if you do not maintain your vigilance."

Laying on his side the Uchiha rasped out, "I couldn't…I couldn't stay in that room…any longer. What…what did you do to me?"

Giving a heavy sigh the young blond calmly replied, "That room is…well, it acts a resonance chamber, everything you have ever experienced, dreamed, or imagined is brought forward from even the deepest, darkest corners of your mind. You view everything you love, hate, desire, and dread. In essence that chamber forces you to face who you are."

Finishing his explanation Naruto added, "Originally it was designed to test young warrior trainees of Clan Shugorei by bombarding them with manipulated memories that would play on their fears as well as their hopes and dreams. However, my skill level is not to a point that would allow me to do the same to you without causing you mental harm. Instead I used it to amplify my technique in order to see your psyche and observe who you are."

"You saw all of that?!" yelled an irate Uchiha as he tried to push off the floor. "You invaded my privacy, my mind, just for some sick…!"

"I did it to help you and trust me when I say if my Hijijisama was here he would have done something far worse to you…and that's _if_ he decided to help you at all," the blond interrupted the angered Sharingan heir. "I myself have undergone similar experiences, both those that were controlled and those that were more in line with what you experienced."

Pitting Sasuke with a firm stare Naruto remarked, "Trust me when I say that all that was in that room was what you took in with you."

"Trust you? Trust you?!" shouted Sasuke as he made his way to a sitting position. "You kidnap me and all but subject me to torture and I am just supposed to trust you?! Like hell I'll…!"

The raven haired boy rant was interrupted as Naruto calmly touched the boy's forehead while saying, "I anticipated that you would feel this way so as I have seen into you, so shall you see into me."

Concentrating chakra to the hand he had placed on the Uchiha's forehead the young Shugorei suddenly remarked, "Oh I should warn you that because I haven't perfected this skill yet you will experience a tingling sensation in your head…followed by some pain."

Before he could protest Sasuke suddenly found the world around him being swallowed by blackness. Staring into nothing the Uchiha felt a small tingle around him, as if static electricity was tugging at his skin, before light flooded his vision and the light tingle turned to a sharp pain.

Silently screaming the dark haired boy watched as Naruto's memories and psyche streamed passed. He saw when Naruto had lived in the Konoha orphanage, experienced the love for the old Matron and the Sandaime who became pseudo-grandparents. Hope and joy filled him as memories of baking cookies and warm hugs enveloped him. However, these memories faded as sadness found him when other children teased the young blond child for his whisker marks and told hurtful lies about his parents. The fears and pain of rejection were almost overwhelming until Sasuke witnessed the attacks that had occurred on the young blond.

Despite his anger at what Naruto had done to him Sasuke yelled for the villagers to stop when they viciously attacked the four year old version of the Shugorei Heir, leaving almost for dead. Confusion plagued him as he watched the boy seemingly cheat death because of a crimson chakra that had suddenly appeared. Before he could relax the dark eyed Uchiha felt fear once again as he was stuffed into a tiny crawl space with Naruto as the old Matron made worried promises as the shouts and pounding of people came from just beyond the walls. Sitting in the dark space Sasuke was pulled away to see the dreams of a young child hoping for parents and a place to belong, of a child wanting to play with the other children in the park but being scared when he heard short whispers and saw odd glances thrown his way.

Feeling as if he couldn't take much more Sasuke felt all of the pressure suddenly seemed to vanish as the image of Shugorei Jinjiro appeared. The old man seemed to stretch out a hand to him and all he could feel was comforting warmth. Flashing away the man was replaced with scenes of training and education. The Uchiha heir saw the old man and Naruto going through rudimentary skills. Watching the scenes show the progress of time everything seemed to change as a scene showing the destroyed home of the two as Sasuke was pulled alongside Naruto to find a dieing Jinjiro. Pain gripped his heart just as it had when he had witnesses how own parents death as the old Shugorei said his farewell and breathed his last.

With feelings of sorrow gripping him Sasuke was unexpectedly thrust back into Konoha as images of the old Hokage and Matron returned. Watching carefully several other figures began to form. From the group he had seen Naruto with the first day the two had met to shinobi like Umino Iruka and even Hatake Kakashi, Sasuke experienced the waves of support that seemed to come from them. Getting caught up in the feeling Sasuke suddenly saw the familiar image of a blond man that he had only seen in pictures. Standing near the man was a beautiful woman with long, red hair and a proud, pregnant tummy hidden under a simply maternity dress.

The couple seemed to beckon him forward until they were abruptly swept away by a large, red furred paw. Horror seemed to grasp him and for the first time, as Sasuke looked to the owner of the limb, the young Uchiha could claim that he had experienced a feeling of terror even worse than what he had experienced in his brother's technique. Standing in all of his dark wonder was the Kyuubi no Youko. Staring at the beast Sasuke let out a scream as its mouth descended to engulf him.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" screamed the Uchiha heir as reality flooded back into his senses.

Grasping at his chest as he tried to steady his breathing Sasuke looked to see that Naruto had removed his hand to clasp it with the other at the small of his back and was now standing a few feet away with his back turned to the Uchiha.

"You saw it," Naruto said more as a statement then a question for which he already knew the answer. "You saw all of it, you saw the orphanage and the mixed experience it was, you saw my Hijijisama and how I lost him. You saw my return and what I have learned, the friends that I now cherish. You saw my beginning, my hope, and my dread."

Still gasping lightly Sasuke asked as his breath started to return, "The Kyuubi…why? I saw it…just as it has been described. It was…."

Silently turning the Shugorei pulled off the clothing covering his torso till nothing but the bare skin and muscle of his chest and his stomach showed. Channeling his chakra dark markings formed as the seal that held the Kyuubi no Youko prisoner became visible.

"I have seen your inner demons and now you have seen mine," the whiskered blond said calmly as he pointed to the intricate seal. "However, unlike you my inner demon is far more tangible and if not for the sacrifice that my father and mother made neither of us would be here to have this conversation."

Staggering to his feet and swaying slightly Sasuke stood wide eyed as he said in amazement, "It's in you…the Kyuubi was sealed in you by the Yondaime. The blond man and the woman he was with, those…those were your parents?!"

"My father's legacy," Naruto said in a quiet voice as he placed a hand onto his sealed belly. "It is a gift…it is a curse."

Standing on wobbly feet the dark haired Uchiha seemed to stare at the blond standing opposite him. All that had been shown to the boy was circling about in his head as pieces were placed together only to be torn apart and reassembled elsewhere. Learning the truth, learning that Konoha had been deceived, that the Kyuubi wasn't truly dead but merely imprisoned and in the belly of the son of the man credited with vanquishing the beast no less. On top of that came the fact that the boy was heir not only to that heritage but also to one of the few clans that could be said to rival or even surpass the Uchiha and the Hyuuga.

Looking at the blond in front of him with a confused stare Sasuke asked once again, "Why are you helping me? Why did you show me that?"

"In some ways you and I are very much alike Sasuke," commented the whiskered boy as he began to put his shirt back on. "And yet in other ways you and I are still so very different."

Reaching into his kunai pouch Naruto withdrew one of the small ninja daggers and began to examine the edge as he said, "When I saw you that night in the graveyard I had just experienced one of the best and worst days of my life. On one hand I had the most fun ever by enjoying the festival with my friends; on the other hand I almost lost control of myself and came dangerously close to giving into Kyuubi's temptations. Seeing you lying there in the cemetery I was struck by how the situation could easily have been reversed and it could have been you who had found me."

Standing quietly Sasuke let his gaze drop to the ground as he commented, "It was so wonderful at first, all I had to do to forget the pain was take a pill or have a drink or two but then it became harder to deal with. One pill became two then three and then I needed several just to stop the nightmares. After a while even that didn't work as well and then…."

"Then you were supplied with opium," finished Naruto as he looked over from his kunai. "You needed more and it seemed so easy. You told yourself it was just one time and that you only needed it for a little bit, but then everything came back and you needed it again."

"Yeah, I thought I could control it," agreed the black eyed boy as he focused on the ground. "I can't remember when I stopped noticing how much I came to desire it."

Letting his hand pull the kunai down to tap idly against his leg the blond demon vessel responded, "The feeling you describe is something I'm familiar with. When Kyuubi starts to push his chakra into me he whispers to me about how easy it is, how good I'll feel to just let go. It is so tempting, that feeling of freedom and invincibility, I hate to admit it but part of me wants to listen and do as he says."

"What's stopped you?" Sasuke asked as he brought his gaze up to meet Naruto's.

"At first it was fear…fear that I would become just like him, a demon, a monster," supplied Naruto before he looked to the giant fresco on the wall depicting the greats of his mother's clan, his clan. "However, I was wrong to use my fear; all it did was make me even more vulnerable. The thing that saved me when I was at my worst was the memory of those who care about me the most."

Staring at the giant work of art the young blond couldn't help but think of the soft voice of his mother that had broken through his rage and of the actions and words of people like the Hokage, Iruka, and Kakashi. The faces of his friends and the Ichiraku father and daughter team came to mind as the kind smile of the Matron seemed to materialize before his eyes.

Looking to the depiction of his great-grandfather Naruto couldn't help but think, _"You're right hijiji, I'm not alone."_

Looking back to Sasuke over his shoulder the blond solemnly said, "When you think about it all it seems like such a quiet thing to fall and far more difficult to admit it not only to others but to ourselves."

Looking to the fox like blond Sasuke inquired, "So what now?"

Tugging at the filthy garments that hung from him the Uchiha heir continued, "What do we do now? I know about whom you are and you know about me. Where does this all take us?"

Turning back to stand only a few feet away the Shugorei heir responded, "We have two choices as I see it. First, we forget this ever happened, you go your way and I'll go mind. I'll deny everything as will you and things will just go back to the way they were. We'll hate one another like people at the Academy think and the Kyuubi and drugs will eventually win."

Feeling a shudder go down his spine at the thought of returning to what he was Sasuke calmly asked, "And the second option."

Giving a fox like grin before tossing the kunai he had been holding into the ground at the Uchiha's feet Naruto said with a cheeky tone, "We get stronger of course."

Blinking in puzzlement at the blond boy's words and actions Sasuke stood still for a moment before reaching down to grab the kunai at his feet. As his fingers began to touch the handle Naruto's voice interrupted him.

"Before you pick up that kunai know this Sasuke," warned the whiskered Shugorei as he caught the black eyes of the other boy with his own blue eyes. "Accepting the second option comes with its own price. You need to give up the pills, the opium, the alcohol because if at anytime I see you slipping back, if I even get the slightest hint of it I'll drag you before the Hokage and he will be the one to decide what you deserve."

Keeping his eyes locked onto Naruto's the Uchiha heir let his fingers warp around the hilt of the kunai before pulling it up with a small jerk.

Flipping the weapon around his fingers to make sure he hadn't lost his dexterity Sasuke settled into a ready stance before motioning with his hand and solemnly saying, "Come then and let me show you what it means to face an Uchiha in combat."

Not even hesitating Naruto surged forward as a kunai seemed to fly to his right hand as he met Sasuke's kunai with a loud 'clang'.

Standing there deadlocked as the kunai grated on each other the Shugorei heir suddenly commented, "Damn, it's too bad I don't know any Suiton jutsu right now."

"Oh, why's that?" asked Sasuke as he tried to push the blond back.

Giving a small, toothy grin Naruto replied frankly, "Well you smell awfully bad and desperately need a shower."

Hearing the words the raven haired boy fell backwards onto his rear as a mixture of embarrassment, annoyance, and anger swept through him before yelling, "It's your damn fault I smell like this! You let me out to go the bathroom, but you couldn't let me take a shower, huh?!"

As Sasuke glared holes into Naruto he gave an annoyed 'humph' before turning his head away in embarrassment as the blond laughed at what had just happened. Not hearing the laughter ending Sasuke let out a battle cry before launching himself at the whiskered boy.

Dodging the lunge and the follow up attacks Naruto spoke in between his laughs, "What are you mad at me for? I just saved you if you think about it."

"I just remembered that I still have to kill you for putting me through all of this, now hold still and let me murder you!" yelled Sasuke as he chased after the whiskered blond.

Watching the two verbally taunt each other as they ran about the training room HK-47 wondered why the two were acting in such a way if they truly intended to kill the each other, to him it seemed as if the two heirs were actively trying to hurt each other but not in any way he was familiar with. Hearing laughter the rust colored sentinel couldn't help but attribute it to the peculiar tendencies and imperfection of meatbags in general, even ones as clever and great as his master and former masters.

* * *

It was past midnight in Konoha and much of the village had fallen asleep to prepare for the coming morning. ANBU patrolled the village to make sure things were secure as a few individuals moved to make there way home from staying out to enjoy a bit of the night life offered within the shinobi village. In a large house that had at one time belonged to one of the more wealthy members of the Uchiha Clan sat a middle aged man with his greasy brown hair pulled over in a poor comb-over. Putting a glass to his lips the man's large front teeth clinked on the glass as he moved it to avoid his rather pointed looking nose. Slight in stature and with small black eyes nearly everything about the man seemed to scream 'rodent'.

Tsubasa was not much of a physical man, where many of his peers growing up had been training hard to become shinobi he had preferred to avoid the hard work that was associated with the gruesome occupation that had made Konoha strong. Rather than develop his talents as a ninja the man had found that he had quite the ability to manipulate the unsuspecting and could con nearly anyone given the proper tools. Such skills had gotten him into quite a bit of trouble in his younger days when he had fooled several Academy students and a few other civilian students out of their money on a weekly basis. The young Tsubasa had gotten quite the beating from his father, but instead of learning the intended lesson the boy had learned that he had to get better so as not to get caught.

Sipping some expensive sake from a fine crystal glass emblazoned with the Uchiha crest the steward reflected on his good fortune since his childhood and the lessons his honest father had tried to instill into him.

"_He may have been honest, but he still went to a pauper's grave,"_ the rodent like man noted silently as he leaned into the overstuffed chair that sat in his comfortable home. _"The man was a fool to think that a bit of underhandedness wouldn't take me far in the world."_

In honesty there was something to be admired in the way the man had risen to a prominent political position. Starting out as a mere courier for the council Tsubasa had quickly learned that politics and power was all about secrets, who knew what and who knew that someone else knew could make all the difference when it came to sitting at the bargaining table. Working his way into a few circles of more prominent council members the young man had carefully positioned himself to befriend those who could best progress his own career and fortune, often by learning the secrets of the opponents of his new sponsors. Rising up through the ranks to become a major aide for several key civilian members of the council it had been his great fortune that when it was decided many other corrupt members would best be served by elevating him to a position directly on the council the Uchiha massacre had occurred and young Sasuke had been left with the need for a steward.

Pulling ever political string he could and calling in nearly all of his favors the man had manipulated his way to being appointed as the Uchiha Steward. The position had of course been paid for with promises of handing out some of the clan's wealth to his backers, all of whom had been more than happy to turn a blind eye to some of his more 'lurid' discretions.

"_And so long as I keep that brat of an Uchiha supplied with pills, alcohol, and now opium I can do as I please with everything,"_ the steward thought with a dark chuckle. _"All I need to do is keep him supplied and give him a few reminders every now and then about the massacre to keep him inline. Who would have thought that an Uchiha could be so pliable given the proper methods?"_

Reaching over to the sake bottle that was on the stand next to the chair Tsubasa suddenly felt a chill run up his spine. Looking about the room the man saw nothing out of place and turned back to the look at the bottle he had been reaching for only to find a large reddish orange, skeleton like creature standing before him with eyes that seemed to pulse like the coals of a fire.

Eyes widening in alarm the Uchiha Steward wasn't even able to let out a cry of shock before a cold, metallic hand wrapped around his throat and began to close off his windpipe.

Pulling the startled man up from the chair to stare him in the eyes HK-47 ignored the frantic kicking of the slowly suffocating man. Stepping forward to position himself fully in front of the struggling politico and crushing the dropped crystal glass beneath his feet HK held the man for a moment longer before dropping him unceremoniously on the floor.

"What…what the hell…what the fuck are you?!" Tsubasa coughed out in anger and fear as he tried to get air to his burning lungs.

"He's normally the guardian of my clan's home, but recently I discovered a few new details surrounding him and his creation so I decided to test one out," spoke Naruto as he stepped out of a shadowed corner of the room. "You see I pride myself in quality and HK here is top of the line in security. Imagine my surprise when I found out he had a function that would allow him to leave the compound and walk about Konoha so long as I placed a couple power seals directly on him to function as battery packs. He can't operate away from his main power source for too long, but I find that it is just time enough for him to help me run a few errands."

Coming around to the stand with the sake on it the Shugorei turned Uzumaki picked up the bottle and began to examine it before saying, "Hmm, such a fine distillation. Quality like this is hard to come by so I'll assume you liberated it from one of the storerooms of the clan you are supposed to serve."

"What the fuck is it to you demon?!" yelled Tsubasa as he staggered to his feet. "I'll have you strung up for what you've done here. No, on second thought I think I'll make sure you're tortured first and then left to rot in the center of the village!"

"**Warning: Threaten the master again meatbag and I will forcefully remove your entrails through your rectal cavity,"** said HK menacingly as he stared at the shaking man with his fiery red eyes.

"Now, now HK there is no need to be rude," said the whiskered blond as he poured out a small glass of sake for himself, having tasted alcohol before under Jinjiro's careful supervision. "I do have some need for him and he must be alive to fulfill it."

"**Statement: As you wish master, but if the fearful meatbag knows what's good for him he will watch his tongue or I shall have no choice but to pull it from his mouth,"** commented the rust colored sentinel as he stood firmly between his master and the Uchiha Steward.

Giving a small nod Naruto addressed Tsubasa saying, "It has come to my attention recently that you are a man who can get things. From some of my sources you have quite the influence on the council and have used it to procure certain items that fall outside of the normal law of the land."

"I don't know what you are talking about," the Uchiha Steward growled with anger. "Get out, get out now and I may just overlook this insult."

"Oh but I am so certain that I am correct Tsubasa-san," replied Naruto in a sweet tone as he sipped at the sake he held in his hand. "I mean what with the money laundering you do for some of the more criminal elements of our country, the kickbacks you receive for all of the political dealings you fix to fall in just the right way, and the way you let confidential information slip to a few dubious organizations about young girls and boys who have no family and then just simply disappear to parts and fates unknown. I'm curious are you selling them into slavery on the black market or are you using some of them for your own personal pleasure considering the small 'kiddy fun' room you have hidden in your basement."

Feeling a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead and running down his neck as the blond demon vessel outlined just the tip of his illegal operations the Uchiha Steward felt his mouth go dry as he asked, "What is it you want?"

"Ah, we come at last to the great question now, don't we?" the Shugorei heir said as he took another sip from his glass. "You see I have found out you are the man to see if someone wants something that lies within the old Uchiha district. You seem to manipulate Sasuke so well, what with starting him up on all those drugs and all, so I thought that you would be able to do business with me as I can be very generous to those whom I find favor in."

Gulping in the effort to try and moisten his mouth to speak Tsubasa answered, "What can you give me that I can't get for myself?"

Letting out a small laugh Naruto stared the man in the eye and used a bit of chakra to make them flash in the faint light of the moon as his voice seemed to deepen saying, "I have the power of the Kyuubi at my disposal, don't you think that a millenniums old demon would have acquired some very interesting things during its lifetime? I know of things that make the riches you have now seem like the change you scorn giving to charity and those who need it."

Seeing the small eyes of the greedy man suddenly begin to shine with curiosity Naruto pulled out a small stack of old Imperial gold coins as he slowly said, "These are just the tip of what I can offer you should you decide to help me with some of my favors."

Fixated on the glint of the gold in the pale moonlight Tsubasa nodded in affirmation.

"I see I have you attention then," commented the whiskered Shugorei as he pulled the coins back into their concealed pocket. "My first favor is relatively simple; all you need to do is get for me a couple of scrolls from the Uchiha archives…."

"But even I don't have access to such things, the archives are protected by a blood seal," answered the Uchiha Steward as he looked up from where his eyes had lingered on the hidden coins to the face of the blond. "Only Sasuke or a high level seal master could open the archives."

"Then I suggest you get your little pet to do so," Naruto stated coldly as he brought a singe gold coin up to capture the man's attention once again. "It shouldn't be too difficult since you keep him doped up pretty well. If you really need to I could see about getting you something stronger to persuade him…."

Giving the whiskered boy a puzzled look the greedy rodent of a man blurted out, "Like what?"

Clucking his tongue in a 'tsking' sound the twelve year old demon vessel remarked, "Opium is nice to start with, but I think heroin would truly give him the kick he needs. Who knows maybe he'll accidentally overdose himself and leave you everything since you have been such a _faithful_ servant? I'm sure forging the necessary documentation or finding someone who could, wouldn't be beyond a man of your caliber."

As his words hit the man Naruto watched as the gears seemed to turn in his head.

Deciding that it would be worth it to finally gain the power and prestige that was just beyond his grasp Tsubasa nodded and replied, "Your offer is most generous. I'll get you your scrolls and if you provide me with the adequate payment and tools I will see to the disposal of a certain someone. Once that pitiful brat is gone I'm sure I can accommodate your interests even further."

Giving a small smirk as he finished off his glass of sake Naruto picked up the bottle once again before looking to Tsubasa and commenting, "Such fine quality, I think I'll keep the glass to remember it and our agreement. However, I wonder what I should do with the rest of the bottle as it is far too good to leave with a worm like you."

Hearing the steel suddenly enter into Naruto's tone the Uchiha Steward became confused as a pressure seemed to fall upon him and the room.

Seeing the man shaken by the killing intent that had washed over the room Naruto seemed to smile as he exclaimed, "Oh I know! Why don't I have my other companion here tonight decide what to do with it? Don't you think that's a good idea Sasuke?"

Emerging almost from the same shadowed corner that Naruto had Uchiha Sasuke marched furiously across the room to grab the bottle of alcohol offered by the blond before launching it to smash into he face of his very surprised steward.

As the older man began to stagger as he tried to wipe away the alcohol that burned at his eyes, the glass that had cut up his face, and the blood that began to pour forth from his cuts Uzumaki/Shugorei Naruto watched with a silent smirk as Sasuke grabbed the man by the front of his tunic before throwing him into a wall.

"You fucking son of a bitch!" screamed the raven haired boy as he began to kick the chest and belly of the steward lying at his feet. "You got me started on all of that shit! You were manipulating me; you used me for your own sick purposes instead of helping me like you were supposed to!"

Reaching down to pull the battered man up Sasuke punched him as hard as he could in the face as he yelled, "I trusted you and here you are not only admitting to selling off my family's secrets and assets to the highest bidder, but you were even agreeing to kill me to get access and ownership to everything."

Tossing the man again into the wall on the opposite end of the room the rage filled Uchiha began to run through a set of handseals before being halted by the outstretched hand of Naruto.

"What are you doing Naruto?!" demanded Sasuke as he threw a hard glare at his companion. "This man has shamed me and my clan!"

"Yes he has and rightfully he should pay the ultimate price," commented Naruto calmly as he watched Tsubasa try to rise to his knees. "However, killing him so quickly hardly seems fair to you and your clan considering the crimes he has committed. May I suggest something a bit longer, slower, and infinitely more painful?"

Catching the confused eyes of the Uchiha heir Naruto gave a quick motion with his head towards Tsubasa which both the raven haired boy and more importantly, HK-47 caught.

Stalking across the room to stand over the battered man HK seemed gleeful as he reached down to grab him as he darkly said, **"Statement: Scream for me meatbag, scream for me."**

Sasuke turned his attention fully to the scene unfolding before him and watched with fascination as the rust colored sentry grabbed Tsubasa. Seeing tendrils of chakra suddenly appearing and almost dancing on the guardian's arms Sasuke felt a small smile form on his face as the former Uchiha steward let out and earsplitting shriek more reminiscent of a young girl than a fully grown man.

* * *

Sometimes it seemed as if Konohagakure and Fire Country only experienced summer. However, as any long time resident of the area would tell a newcomer, such things were deceiving. The leaves on the lush forest surrounding the village were just beginning to turn colors as autumn began to show itself fully.

For the normally warm and verdant area the Fall season usually consisted of cold rains and fogs. The unusual change in climate was due to the heavy moisture that swept up from the seas and oceans to the south and east of the country meeting with the dry air coming from the west and the desert in the Country of Wind and the colder air moving down from the north by the way of Earth Country and the far northern Country of Snow. With autumn coming in mid to late October the Country of Fire and lasting until late November it was quite usual for winter in around Konoha to be somewhat mild when compared to many of the harsher climates of the other countries.

"Man, Naruto's late today!" whined Inuzuka Kiba as he lay in a patch of sunlight as Akamaru chased after a dry leaf that blew in the breeze across the top of the Academy.

It had been nearly a week and a half since the group of students had celebrated their latest friend's birthday and over the last few days the blond boy had seemed a bit distracted.

"Perhaps he is off pulling another prank," commented Shino as he enjoyed the lightly crisp air that had descended upon Konoha to cool it slightly. "He has done quite a few over the last few days."

From where he laid on the edge of the roof Shikamaru grunted in agreement as he stared at the clouds passing overhead. Sitting next to the Nara as usual was Chouji who had already started in on the first part of his lunch.

"Naruto sure is creative when it comes to tricking people," the plump Akimichi stated as he paused to take a mouthful of rice. "Who knew you could make Mizuki-sensei cry so much by simply turning his hair into a neon green afro with orange striping."

Giving a short, barking laugh Kiba showed his agreement. Since the festival Naruto had seemed to go on a prank spree, it seemed no one was safe from the blond as even rumors that the Hokage had gotten itching powder in his robes abounded. Many of the unusual happenings around the village seemed to be attributed to the group's whiskered member, however unless he actually admitted to having pulled the prank no one seemed to actually be able to link the acts to the blond.

"While some of those things are funny, Naruto really should grow up some," commented Ino as she sat opposite of Sakura.

Both girls were in somewhat somber moods as they still hadn't been able to get close to Sasuke. What was odd was the fact that other than spotting him at the Academy, the girls and the rest of the raven boy's fan club hadn't been able to catch a glimpse of him anywhere else. It was starting to become a major mystery and some far fetched rumors were beginning to fly as to what the boy could be doing and where he could be disappearing to.

"Ano…Naruto-kun is, well he's not caused any real damage," Hinata tried to defend the absent boy as she played with fingers. "I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"Speak of the devil," commented Shikamaru without even moving his eyes from where they were fixated on some clouds.

Walking casually across the rooftop to join his friends for lunch Naruto seemed to sport a wide grin as he gave a small wave. However, what seemed to stun the group wasn't that Naruto had finally showed up but rather who was slowly following behind him. Only a few paces behind the blond boy came none other than Uchiha Sasuke in his normally quiet, brooding manner.

"Yo guys, sorry I was late but I had to almost threaten Sasuke here to come along," the whiskered blond said with a fox like grin on his face as the dark haired boy simply shifted his gaze off to the side.

His jaw slightly open Kiba suddenly exclaimed, "What the hell?! Why is Sasuke here and more importantly why did you of all people bring him?!"

Pushing the bridge of his glasses with his right pointer finger Shino agreed, though more tactfully, "Indeed, considering that the two of you are not on the best of terms I can't begin to understand why you are not fighting at the moment."

"It wasn't my choice to accompany this loser," sated Sasuke suddenly in a rather annoyed tone.

"Hey bastard!" retorted Naruto while pointing an accusatory finger at the Uchiha. "You promised to be cordial to everyone so long as I promised to spar with you again."

"I promised to be cordial to your friends, not to you," remarked the raven haired boy as looked to the gathered group of students. "You really should learn to negotiate your deals better."

Giving the other boy a exasperated look the hidden Shugorei Heir said, "Damn it all, here I try to be nice and yet you have to still act like this…."

Before the blond could say anything further he was bonked on the head by both Ino and Sakura.

"Don't antagonize Sasuke-kun," the two girls shouted together as they stood over the whiskered blond who was rubbing at where he'd just been hit.

As Hinata moved over to see if Naruto was alright Ino tried to latch onto Sasuke's arm saying, "Come on Sasuke-kun you can sit by me and enjoy your lunch in…."

"Like hell he'd want to sit with you Ino-pig!" shouted Sakura as she pushed Ino away to try and take the blond girl's place next to the raven haired boy. "Sasuke-kun wants a girl with class and smarts, not hussies like you."

Stepping back over to push the pink haired girl away from Sasuke Ino yelled, "Well you've got the smarts right, what with that huge forehead that hides your brain!"

Launching into a shouting and shoving match the two girls missed it as the boy they were arguing over moved to sit down next to where Naruto had been moved to by a concerned Hinata.

Throwing a glance towards the two girls as everyone else seemed to be caught up in watching the display or trying to calm them down Sasuke whispered, "Tell me again why I let you talk me into coming here and putting up with all of this."

Getting small smile on his face Naruto conspiratorially whispered back, "You'll get used to it eventually and it will do you good to be around all of us even if you don't understand it at the moment. Take it from me, after a while these things make you feel better than any power or substance can."

Turning an eye to catch the confused look on the Uchiha heir's face, the hidden Shugorei heir muttered in a slightly joking tone, "I could always put you back into the chamber again if you truly want to get away from all of this."

Feeling a small shiver grasp him Sasuke shook lightly as he remembered the experience that had led to his small epiphany.

Giving a small shake to toss off the memory before hearing Ino and Sakura suddenly launch into a round of yelling over which one of them could bear him the strongest children the dark haired boy commented quietly, "I'm not sure if that really would be much worse right now."

Letting out a sharp laugh at the normally cold boy's remark Naruto drew the attention of all the others that were on top of the Academy with him. Seeing that even Ino and Sakura had paused their fight to see what the whiskered boy had found so funny Naruto made a mental note that although Sasuke still acted quite cold and arrogant in public the dark eyed Sharingan heir was starting to make a few major strides forward in terms of his private demeanor.

Feeling the stares on him as even Sasuke was looking at him with confusion the whiskered blond remarked, "Sorry but I was just thinking about how nice having a half day of classes is."

Sitting up from where he had been cloud gazing and ignoring the normal antics of Sakura and Ino, Shikamaru took on a look of confusion as he asked, "What half day? We aren't scheduled for a half day until well into December."

Giving another sharp laugh Naruto spoke with a strong tone, "Oh I think we'll be getting the announcement about it pretty soon as the laxatives I snuck into Iruka-sensei's and Mizuki-sensei's tea this morning should be kicking in…right…about…now."

Almost as the blond said 'now' two ungodly cries of panic seemed to emanate from inside the Academy, which caused all of the gathered students, except Naruto, to look towards where the teacher's lounge was.

Looking back to a now hysterically laughing boy Chouji dropped his chopsticks and said slowly in disbelief, "You didn't…."

"You couldn't…," remarked Ino as she stared at the other blond with wide eyes.

"You wouldn't…," picked up Sakura as stood stunned.

As another pair of loud cries of anguish suddenly hit the group Kiba broke into laughter as he exclaimed, "You did!"

While the Inuzuka and Uzumaki laughed with Akamaru barking in support Shikamaru and Chouji gave a few chuckles. Unknown to anyone but himself Sasuke silently chuckled as well as he shook his head slightly with a look that showed his annoyance and covered up his approval. Hinata tried to stutter out a small reprimand at Naruto's latest prank but was unable as her feelings of right and wrong warred with her growing admiration for the outgoing boy.

Off to the side where he was sitting Shino simply gave a sunglasses covered gaze to his friend before saying quietly, "You are a very dangerous person Naruto."

"Oh don't be like that," stated the blond boy proudly as he picked up on Shino's comment and saw that Ino and Sakura were simply standing in stunned silence. "I did this all for us anyway."

Marching over to grab the front of the boy's blue vest Ino yelled at the male blond, "What could we possibly want with all of this?!"

Slowly using his stronger grip to remove Ino's hand Naruto responded with a cheeky grin saying, "Well other than being hilariously funny, I thought we could all use the free time for me to finally show you a bit on scroll sealing and start you in on using chakra to heat water like I promised I would when we all first had lunch together."

"Ano…you're really going to show us?" asked Hinata hopefully as she looked to Naruto before turning away in a blush at how she had suddenly thought about him holding her hand to show how to make the chakra flow just right.

Chuckling still at his devious prank Naruto remarked, "I made a promise and I never go back on my word, besides I think it would be beneficial for all of us that we each take an afternoon every few weeks to teach each other a skill we are good at and the others might find helpful."

Swinging his legs over the small ledge to hop down onto the roof Shikamaru commented, "It seems troublesome, but doing so may give us all an edge when the final exams come around in the spring."

"Hey, so long as Akamaru and I get stronger I don't see any need to complain," Kiba said with a quick thumbs-up as his nin-ken companion let out a few short 'yaps' in agreement.

Looking unsure as to what to do, both Sakura and Ino seemed torn between agreeing and getting some new skills or refusing on the basis that they could be complicate in Naruto's latest prank. Truth be told while outside both girls looked to be angry at the whiskered blond for what he had done, inside both were giving a few cheers.

"_Hmm, I do want to become stronger so Sasuke-kun will notice me more,"_ thought Sakura as she began to move over to where her lunch was waiting for her. _"But I don't want to get in trouble…."_

"_**Let's go for it!"**_ the more adventurous side of Sakura's personality suddenly jumped into the internal monologue. _**"Sasuke-kun will surely notice us if we can surpass Ino-pig, not to mention Naruto's not that bad a looker either…."**_

Giving a blush that was more reminiscent of Hinata than of her self Sakura shook her head to banish away her thoughts before saying, "Okay I'm in, but if we get in trouble I'll pound you into the ground Naruto."

Seeing Ino nodding in agreement with Sakura's ultimatum and knowing that both Shino and Chouji seemed okay with the prospect Naruto gave a small 'whoop' of triumph before pulling out his lunch.

Promising that they could begin once they had all eaten Naruto caught the subtle eye roll from Sasuke at the way Naruto's plan had seemed to work out just as he had explained it before the two had reached the roof for lunch. Giving an almost unnoticeable shrug the demon vessel of Konohagakure simply let a happy smile play across his face as he began to dig into the cup of ramen that he had prepared.

* * *

The Sandaime Hokage was not a happy man at the moment. It wasn't because he was still finding itching powder in his robes from the prank Naruto had pulled on him a few days ago, in all honesty he found it gave him hope that the boy was starting to act more like a boy his age should. No, the reason the old Hokage was in a foul mood was because of a packet of information that had mysteriously found its way onto his desk earlier that morning. Having read through the packet several times out of disbelief at what was inside the old man felt his anger growing exponentially as he flipped through the many documents and photos that lay within.

Currently being flanked by all of the ANBU Captains, including the newly returned and promoted Bunji, the Sandaime made his way past two ANBU guards who had been standing outside the home of the Uchiha Steward.

Ignoring the greeting given to him by a chunin Sarutobi barked out in a tone that demanded immediate obedience, "Where is that little piece of shit?!"

Hesitating for but a moment a masked ANBU answered, "This way Hokage-sama."

Following the operative into a large study at the center of the small mansion the Hokage felt his mouth go dry as he saw what lay inside.

"Oh, damn!" remarked Mitarashi Anko as she took in the horrible sight that lay before some of the most powerful ninja and kunoichi of Konoha. "This is a fucking slaughterhouse."

The room was more akin to a small war zone than the place of quiet repose that it was originally intended to be. Around the room blood was splattered and what appeared to be pieces of a body were scattered, some lying on the floor while others on some of the now ruined furniture. In the center of the room, being examined by a group of ANBU medic-nins that specialized in forensics, was a large lump sitting on what appeared to be a tall, thin spike.

Stepping into the room the old Hokage suddenly caught a whiff of something that stung at his nose and made his eyes water.

"Ammonia and bleach," supplied Nekoirazu Kenshin as he moved over to examine a nearby wall that had a large arterial spurt of blood drying on it. "Any evidence that is in here that could have helped us to identify who or what did this has been compromised. This entire room has been sprayed down with a mixture of ammonia and bleach, none of this is any good for DNA matching or blood typing now."

Rubbing the thin auburn goatee he wore that clashed with his shoulder length, dyed black hair Kenshin pulled a few small tools out of his navy blue jacket to begin taking some samples for his own personal study.

"Shows whoever it was knew what they were doing," commented Morino Ibiki as he moved over to examine the wall his counterpart in Internal Affairs was studying.

"This must have been one hell of a party," Anko said with a sly grin as she used a thin senbon needle to move a bloody piece of cloth that had once been part of a shirt and was now stuck to a pane of glass on one of the large windows overlooking the garden towards the back of the mansion. "The windows haven't been forced open and are still locked tightly from the inside."

"Whoever did this is good, I'll give them that," said the tiger masked Tenzo as he was the only ANBU Captain that still believed in maintaining his face a secret while still a member of the ANBU. "On top of that they are vicious beyond belief; this doesn't strike me as a crime of passion or some random event. The way things are laid out here screams personal and well planned to me."

"If you are all quite finished admiring the handiwork of our murderer maybe you would deign to join the rest of us in examining something far more relevant," growled the Hokage as he threw a few hard glances at the four ANBU Captains, who seemed to be enjoying the scene a bit too much for his tastes.

Slightly abashed by the reprimand the four young Captains all moved over to the center of the room, where the Hokage and the two oldest Captains were carefully examining the spiked lump.

"Whoa, I think you are right about this possibly being personal, Tenzo," noted Anko as she got a good view of the object.

Fitted on a large steel pike was the severed head of Tsubasa. With his hair pulled away to reveal his baldness one could clearly see the kanji for traitor and criminal burned not only into the skin but the skull that lay beneath. His mouth propped open slightly in a silent scream a small flash of silver caught the eye as a fine silver coin was seen lodged edgewise in between the teeth of the man as his jaws clenched, as if it had been placed their before someone had forced the man to bite down hard enough to allow the metal to grate past the teeth to hit the gums.

"Now that is something you don't see everyday," remarked Kenshin as he turned his head to get a good look at the coin. "I've never heard of a silver coin being left at a scene before."

"New assassin probably just wants to leave his mark," supplied Anko with a shrug as being the Captain of the Assassination and Sabotage Division she new many of those in her field liked to leave small calling cards as a means of identifying an act or a kill as belonging to a specific individual or organization.

"That is possible, but silver coins and coins in general have a greater symbolism in some cultures and histories. It is quite possible that whoever is responsible had such a thing in mind," commented Bunji as he spoke for the first time since arriving at the scene.

Catching the confused looks from his fellow Captains and the Hokage himself out of the corner of his remaining eye the old, grey haired man explained in a gruff voice, "In some of the cultures of the Western Lands when a person dies coins are left on the eyes or in the mouth of the corpse with the idea that the spirit of the departed will need them. These cultures hold that the only way to crossover to the afterlife is by crossing a river separating this world from the next. To do so a deceased person must pay the ferryman of the river so they are not condemned to walk the world forever. In some senses it means that leaving the coins is a way to make sure the soul of the departed comes to be judged for what they did while still alive."

"Well if that's the case Tsubasa here is going straight to the deepest pits of hell considering the evidence that Hokage-sama received concerning his illegal activities," quipped Anko as she began to idly play with a kunai.

"If the kanji here is any indication of the crime he was being punished for then he most definitely is in the deepest circle of hell," remarked Bunji as he adjusted his eye patch before explaining further. "Another cultural tradition of the Western Lands holds that the final and worst level of hell is specifically reserved for traitors and betrayers. The silver coin also supports the conclusion that Tsubasa has betrayed someone important if we follow the cultural traditions farther."

Cocking an eyebrow at the statement the old Hokage sharply demanded, "Explain."

"There is a tale that thousands of years ago, long before the Elemental Countries, the Empire, or even the catastrophe that gave rise to it all a very important man was betrayed by someone very close to him," Bunji said slowly as he folded his arms across his chest. "Supposedly the traitor was paid a bag of silver coins to commit his treason and ever since a silver coin left with the dead is considered to be a sign that the person was being punished for their betrayal. If such is the case here it could mean we have a killer that is from the West or one that is well versed in history, culture, and symbols."

Kneeling down to look underneath the head at the spike that it was lodged on, as Bunji finished, the other ANBU Captain who hadn't spoken yet gave a small grunt as she moved back up and played with the tail of the braided pony tail that held back her dark, grey hair.

"I don't know as much about such things as you do Bunji," Usohakkenki Takara finally spoke as she threw a glance to her old teammate with her green eyes. "But from what I can see the blade that severed Tsubasa's head was not only incredibly sharp but also incredibly hot. The neck wound has been completely cauterized and yet the flesh isn't burned or even singed, this means that the stroke that decapitated him was a single, quick strike."

Reaching out to some of the blood that dripped from the wounds on the face of the dead Uchiha Steward to gather it on her finger Takara brought the red digit close to her eye in examination before placing it in her mouth and sucking on it for a moment.

"No matter how may times I've seen you do that it's still absolutely horrible," said Bunji as he gave his former teammate a one eyed stare as several nearby shinobi turned green and rushed out of the room.

"That may be, but I get the taste of water chestnuts from his blood," noted Takara as she removed the now clean finger from her mouth with a small grin as Anko seemed to stare at her in awe. "This man was injected with the neurotoxin produced by the Blue Dart Conch. While it isn't fatal right away, unless a person is given a tremendous dose, it does cause the nervous system to become hyperactive and open up its receptor nerves fully. Tsubasa here felt every last thing up until the point his brain finally died from oxygen and blood depravation. It's quite the horrible way to die, but then again that is why this is one of my more favorite poisons."

While many of the ANBU Captains gave Takara odd looks, ranging from Anko's near hero worship to Bunji just giving a low chuckle, Sarutobi folded his hands behind his back in contemplation. Takara was the foremost expert on poisons, toxins, and venoms not only in Konoha and Fire Country but also the rest of the Elemental Countries, only Suna's Elder puppet mistress, Chiyo, the missing-nin Sasori of the Red Sands, and his own student, the famed medic of the Sannin, Tsunade, had knowledge that could rival Takara in such an area. If the Captain of the counterintelligence and Clandestine Affairs Division was certain of her finding the Sandaime had no need to even doubt her for a moment.

"This doesn't bode well at all in our favor," noted the old Hokage as he stared into Tsubasa's unblinking eyes. "With the evidence we have so far we can only assume that whoever is responsible for this planned well enough to take into account that we would discover these clues. I fear we will most likely never know exactly who is responsible."

Having one of the investigating ANBU whisper into his ear Nekoirazu Kenshin gave a sharp nod before dismissing the man and then turning to the waiting group made of his peers and lord.

"Well things just seem to be getting better and better," the Captain of the Internal Affairs division sarcastically joked as he shoved his hands into the dark slacks he wore. "It seems that several members of the investigating team have tried to use jutsu to detect fingerprints and any other minutely detailed evidence only to find that the techniques are being blocked. The chakra residue in this room is so pungent and large that it is the only thing any of the jutsu can detect and even if we caught a glimpse of something, that evidence would be tainted by the residue enough that it would be just as worthless as if the ammonia and bleach was on it."

Running through a couple of quick handseals each of the ANBU Captains and even the Hokage tested Kenshin's words by activating more powerful versions of the detections jutsu. Channeling their chakra for a few moments as the group stood in quiet concentration they soon all deactivated the techniques as they found that the Captain and the ANBU who had informed him were indeed correct.

Standing in silence as they digested this news Anko was the one to break the silence as she said, "Fuck, I take it back they're not only good they're damn near incredible."

Ignoring his fellow Captain Tenzo stood to attention and crisply asked, "What are your orders Hokage-sama? I will mobilize my entire division if you wish to have the village searched."

Chewing on the inside of his lip in frustration the old Hokage replied slowly, "Tsubasa would have been executed for his crimes anyway; this just means we have been saved the need for a trial. However, I don't like the idea that someone could simply stroll into his home and brutally murder him without any one noticing until someone anonymously sent me evidence of his activities."

Turning to Kenshin the old Sarutobi ordered, "Captain Nekoirazu, you will oversee this investigation personally and coordinate with your fellow Captains as needed. I want all of the contacts, all of the suppliers, all those who were helping him or receiving favors from him arrested and brought in for questioning regardless of who they are or what position they may hold. Those you find who are dirty are to be held over for trial on their own crimes."

Looking back over his shoulder at the head of Tsubasa for a moment the Sandaime remarked, "If we do not find any solid evidence of who is responsible, and I am afraid that that will be the case, mothball the investigation regarding the identity of the killer and focus mainly on pursuing those linked to Tsubasa. I will deal with informing Sasuke myself and personally see to it that reparations are made for his former steward's crimes before appointing a more trustworthy steward."

Hearing a few sharp 'Hai's' from his ANBU Division leaders as they disappeared to return to their duties the eyes of the old Hokage narrowed onto the face of the dead man as he contemplated who it was who could have gathered the information that had alerted him to the man's criminal activities and if that person was responsible for Tsubasa's gruesome demise.

* * *

Kneeling silently in meditation on the floor of the training room where he had shown Sasuke the gigantic fresco of his clan's most renowned members Naruto was practicing to master his breathing. Far from the boy's mind was the gruesome event that he had not only ordered but also observed. Having dropped off information to the Hokage, information that would lead to the dismantling of several troublesome political and criminal factions that Tsubasa had been involved with; the blond felt that he had made quite the civic contribution. Letting his mind drift away the Shugorei heir thought only of a few matters that were currently of great importance to him.

The first was the need to find an architect and engineer that could start work on rebuilding the Shugorei Compound sometime in the next year. While he had used Jinjiro's name and authority to have Ayeka start the search so far none of the candidates met the whiskered boy's exacting standards of discretion. On top of this was the need to find an artist that could add the image of his mother to the fresco that stood on the wall only a few yards away from him. Knowing that Jinjiro had updated 'The Shugorei Chronicles' after finding his granddaughter's only child and once again before his death, Naruto felt a need to make sure that not only his mother, but the Shugorei members who had fought valiantly against the Kyuubi were given their rightful place of honor. However, since the artist who had originally created the fresco and subsequently his apprentice who had been in the clan's employ to update it periodically were both dead the task of finding someone who could maintain the style of the great work of art would undoubtedly be difficult.

The second major thought that was bothering the Shugorei heir was what he had seen nearly a month ago when he had visited Danzou's training facility and saw the young 'Ne' trainees there. Part of the blond knew that trying to do anything would be problematic and quite possibly endanger his self once Danzou decided their alliance was no longer convenient. However, a larger part of the demon vessel knew that he couldn't simply turn a blind eye to the situation, something had to be done to get those boys out of Danzou's clutches.

Shifting slightly to let some blood flow into his knees better Naruto's mind wandered to the third point that was of importance to him, his friends. With Sasuke now part of the group, albeit reluctantly on both the part of the Uchiha and the part of a majority of the group, Naruto found himself faced with the difficulty of maintaining his secrets as well as keeping an eye on the raven haired boy so as not to lose hime back to his old habits. While the Uchiha could prove to be a major ally politically later on Naruto felt that such things needed to take a backseat for the moment as making sure Sasuke was stable and strong enough to survive was far more important. The others of the group didn't pose as much difficulty, but with his history of losing people a large part of the blond held an overwhelming desire to protect them and keep them at any cost.

"_**You have learned a great deal,"**_ spoke the voice of the Shugorei heir's Zanpakuto. _**"Perhaps it is time, enter if you can…."**_

Though he was physically kneeling in the training room Naruto was actually far away in the verdant park that represented Konoha to him where Jinjiro had observed him so long ago. Some things had changed, such as the fantasy characters having been replaced with images of his real life friends, but for the most part the mindscape remained the same.

Walking over to the nine foot tall sphere that represented the world that had been created about his Zanpakuto's soul; Naruto found that unlike before, where the orb seemed to be completely solid and impenetrable, his hands seemed to pass into the sphere as if it were a globe of liquid metal. Pushing forward until his face met his silvery reflection the whiskered boy was suddenly pulled into a world that that was far different from his mindscape and the prison of the Kyuubi.

Standing in waist high grass the Shugorei known as an Uzumaki looked around to see rolling verdant hills with granite boulders sticking out, thick copses of bamboo grew down the slope of one hill only to rise up the slope of another as it stretched out into the mists that seemed to circulate about everything. As the mist wrapped around him Naruto spied a distinctive black tower with red terracotta roofs and platinum sculptures guarding its edges.

"_**So you were able to enter,"**_ remarked the voice of the Zanpakuto from behind where Naruto stood.

Turning about the Shugorei heir was stunned to see the demonic looking samurai warrior that he had first glimpsed in the Kyuubi's lair.

Standing tall at almost six feet the Oni masked warrior had the mists wrapping about him as grass folded about hi legs. With arms crossed over his well muscled chest with its crimson runes and seals the physical image of the Zanpakuto was nothing less than daunting.

"_**I'm glad that we are able to meet on much easier terms than last time,"**_ the being noted as he stood strong and proud with his gruff voice emanating from his metal mask like face. _**"I have been watching you very carefully since the night when you almost gave into the demon. In your rage you could not hear me and I feared for a moment that you would be consumed."**_

"It was my mother," Naruto responded softly as he looked at the entity. "My mother spoke to me; she broke through death to save me once again. She and Hijiji showed me that I am not alone, that my friends and those who care for me supersede the Kyuubi's power."

"_**Well said,"**_ the soul of the unformed weapon said knowingly. _**"However, it is a lesson that you must remember and strengthen. The Kyuubi no Youko is a patient and cunning beast, he does not count this as a failure merely a step towards finding a way to gain control…to gain his freedom and bring destruction to the world once again."**_

Nodding in acknowledgement of the wisdom that he was hearing Naruto knew that, like Sasuke with his addiction, he would have to be ever vigilant to avoid the temptations and intoxicating power of the great bijuu.

"_**Your actions to help your new friend and strengthen the ones who you hold close are noble and honorable. Your methods are your own, though some would question them I see the truth to you as I am a part of you just as you are a part of me,"**_ the demonic looking warrior that was Naruto's Zanpakuto stated firmly as he uncrossed his arms. _**"I have decided that since you desire now to become strong not just for your own sake but for the sake of others I will allow you to wield me."**_

Eyes widening with surprise and delight Naruto was about to let out a loud cry of joy when suddenly he felt the clawed finger of the Zanpakuto's gauntleted right hand touch his forehead and push him back out into the real world as chakra seemed to explode about him and manifest into a sheathed sword resting on his lap.

Picking up the weapon as he rose up to his feet Naruto took in all of the details of his formed Zanpakuto.

The hilt was round and wrapped in black sharkskin leather as a simple, platinum pommel capped it with a short red tassel with two small, silvery bells. Moving to the guard Naruto saw that it was shaped in a circular manner with four vertical, C like pieces spaced on its edge like the points of a compass. Two of the pieces were oriented to pint down the sides of the sheathed blade while the other two pointed down the sheathed edges. The sheath itself was impressive with midnight black in color being the main feature though a rounded platinum cap was attached to the end and a platinum ring went about the width of the sheath at the point it me the guard and another half way down its length. Seeing that the sheath was a bit wider than the katana he had practiced and defended himself with for the last six and a half years Naruto pulled the blade free to gasp as his eyes drank it in.

The silvery steel of the blade showed itself to be wider and thicker than that of a normal katana, as if to withstand the harder blows and strikes of an aggressive combat style. The curve of the blade was almost nonexistent making the weapon more in line with a chokuto or ninjato than katana blade. Despite these differences the blond boy's keen eye picked up the incredibly sharp edge, the wave like pattern that promised strength and durability, and the small fuller that ran the back, dull edge of the blade making the sword lighter than one would originally think.

Rising to his feet and moving though a few Kenjutsu katas Naruto was elated to find that the sword seemed to flow with him without any difficulty, as if it were a mere extension of his own limbs. Whipping it around in an aggressive strike that would have severed the head of standing opponent of similar height the Shugorei heir realized what his Hijijisan had always meant when describing how a Zanpakuto would form to be an exact match for the Shugorei member who was its master and former.

"_**Can you feel it Naruto?"**_ asked the Zanpakuto inside of Naruto's mind as the blade was brought up in a slanted, strong guard. _**"We move as one and strike with a deadliness that will be unmatchable. I am more confident now than ever that you will hear my name and truly call me forth soon. Yes, very soon indeed…."**_

Hearing the gruff voice of the Zanpakuto fade away the blue eyed Shugorei heir calmly resolved that by the time he became a genin in the spring he would prove those words correct. Sheathing the newly formed blade a new surge of energy seemed to spring to life within him as he made his way from the training room carrying the weapon proudly.

* * *

**AN: **_Finally have this chapter finished. From the holidays to family obligations to a few small projects that earned me some extra cash I have finally finished this chapter. I can't say how glad I am as the rewriting and editing seemed to take forever as I tried to adequately convey my vision of the events that I wanted to cover here. Well now that this is out of the way I best get started on the next chapter. However, seeing as it is New Year's Eve here I think I may postpone that thought for the evening and just go get drunk with a pretty girl. Happy New Year everyone!_

_**Tyrchon**_  
**-,-**


	12. Chapter 11: The Wheel Turns

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 11 – The Wheel Turns**_

* * *

Spring had made its grand appearance early in the Country of Fire. Having only suffered an average winter of drizzling cold rain, freezing sleet and gloomy fog the country and its villages were joyful when the weather began to change and the dreary looking forests began to show maturing buds forming new leaves and flowers. Now into the middle of April, with the surrounding woodland once again taking on a lush feel, the village of Konoha was expecting to see its own blossoming as the young ninja and kunoichi within the classrooms of the Academy prepared for their final examinations.

"Alright, settle down people!" hollered Umino Iruka as he tried desperately to get the attention of the overexcited students within his classroom. "We have a lot to cover before we begin today and…."

Seeing that his attempts at quieting down the aspiring shinobi was failing miserably the scarred chunin felt a small tick beginning to form in the vein near his left temple.

"Their excitement is understandable," commented Mizuki, who was leaning over the teachers' desk, rechecking the paper portion of the exam. "You remember what it was like at that age, don't you Iruka?"

Giving a sidelong glance to his fellow instructor Iruka felt a small frown form on his face. His own days at the Academy had been less than exemplary. Between goofing off to hide how hurt he was from losing his parents in the Kyuubi attack to the dark road his hidden anger and hate had been starting to make him walk down Iruka did not enjoy thinking back onto those days too much and often wished he could simply forget them.

"They may be excited but one would think they'd get it into their heads that the sooner they are quiet the sooner we can begin the exam and the sooner they can graduate," growled the brown haired Academy instructor as he let his frustration be known.

Giving a short laugh Mizuki picked up a small grading book before noting, "That may be true, but we can let them have a little longer anyways since we are still missing a student."

Quirking an eyebrow Iruka looked into the book being held open for his inspection. Looking down the column that was designated for the attendance at the exam he found one space towards the bottom, and only that space, had not been marked for the student's presence. Looking up from the book to scan the desks and the faces of his gathered pupils the man found that he did not see any trace of the wayward genin hopeful.

"Alright, where is he?!" Iruka thundered as his frustration was openly displayed, thus quieting the near riotous class. "Where is he? Where is Uzumaki Naruto?!"

Waiting for an answer to his question, while Mizuki shuffled some papers, Iruka scanned the crowd once again with special attention being placed upon the faces of those students that were often in the company of the whiskered blond. The brown haired man had learned that whenever the young Uzumaki wasn't around it meant a great deal of trouble as it heralded some sort of prank being pulled. The group of students that had become friends or as it appeared in the case of Uchiha Sasuke, rivals, often sported looks that confirmed that the whiskered blond was up to something. However, from the confused and worried looks on their faces none of the group seemed to have any idea of where their companion could be and this made the scarred chunin very concerned.

Over the past school year Naruto had become a major figure as a student at the Academy, one of both praise and controversy. There were many who viewed the boy with suspicion and anger, often attributing the amazing abilities presented by the boy as being a sign of a resurgent Kyuubi no Kitsune. It didn't help that the pranks pulled by the young blond were often massive in their publicity and their ability to humiliate. At the same time others, both in and out of the Academy, saw the demon vessel as something to aspire to. Naruto had proved to be a pinnacle of what a student should strive to be considering the boy had in the space of a single Academy term gone from an unknown to being tied for the title of 'Rookie of the Year'.

"_And I have the dubious suspicion that Naruto wasn't even displaying everything that he can do," _internally commented Iruka as he looked towards the classroom door, hoping that the blond would show up at the last moment. _"It almost seemed that Naruto was playing during lessons in a way that would cause his fellow students to push themselves harder. The way he traded off wins with Sasuke seemed to be almost…choreographed."_

Giving his head a quick shake to clear away his suspicions the scarred chunin focused back on the task at hand.

"Very well then…if he doesn't wish to join us then we will just have to begin without him," stated Iruka firmly as he pulled his gaze away from the door and back to the waiting students. "Now the first part of the exam will…."

"Sensei," interrupted Yamanaka Ino with an upraised hand. "I know Naruto is running late, but can't you just wait a little longer? He should be coming, he…."

"I'm sorry but regulations state that the exam must begin at a specific time," Iruka said with a small sigh as he respected the fact that Naruto had some loyal friends, however rules were rules. "I can not make an exception for him; if he isn't here by the time we begin he will fail this portion of the test…."

"But Naruto is supposed to become a ninja like the rest of us!" shouted Inuzuka Kiba as Iruka was once again interrupted. "If you fail him then…."

"If I am allowed to finish my explanation of the exam then perhaps there would be no further need for you to try and defend his absence," the brown haired chunin said with a touch of steel to his voice as he eyed the class, daring anyone to interrupt him for a third time. "Well no one else then? Good."

Seeing that Mizuki was finishing handing out the exam sheets Iruka continued by saying, "This is only the first portion of the exam. It is a written test of your acquired knowledge."

Hearing a few groans and seeing some students on the verge of breakdowns at the idea of answering the test Iruka quickly added, "However, the entire exam is made up of five different segments, failing one doesn't mean you will be disallowed from becoming a shinobi. The first is this written portion, the second will test your talents with shuriken and kunai throwing, third shall be a Ninjutsu test where you will be asked to demonstrate on of the three basic jutsu you have been taught here at the Academy. The choice will be random so be prepared to demonstrate Kawarimi, Henge, or Bunshin depending upon what I or Mizuki-sensei asks of you. The fourth section will be a test of your ability to detect Genjutsu while the fifth section will be a short spar against either Mizuki-sensei or me."

Finishing the description of the different sections Iruka noted that Mizuki had moved to stand next to him as all the gathered students now had exam papers before them.

"As Iruka-sensei said, failure in one section does not mean overall failure," the silver haired chunin stated as he picked up the explanation. "The points you earn in each section will be totaled together for your final score which shall determine if you have earned a forehead protector and the rank of genin. A poor showing in one section can be bolstered by doing well in another."

Before either instructor could offer anything further in the way of an explanation, the classroom door slid open loudly.

Without even looking over at the doorway Iruka reprimanded, "You're late! Now take a seat and be thankful that I haven't officially started the exam yet."

Not hearing the sound of light footsteps moving towards an open seat or even a quick apology the Academy instructor grew a bit confused. Blinking a few times to see that the gathered students and Mizuki were all standing with wide eyes and slack jaws, Iruka turned to see what Naruto had done now. However, what he saw immediately filled the young chunin with dread.

"Well I have to say it has been quite some time since I've been reprimanded by a school teacher," chortled the Captain of the new ANBU Training Division darkly. "Do you want me to stay after for detention as well?"

Feeling the blood draining from his face Iruka would have had his knees knocking together if he wasn't paralyzed by fear. Insulting the man known as 'Mad Dog' Bunji was rumored to be tantamount to digging your own grave as the older ninja was just as ruthless as he was unpredictable, which coincidentally was why he was considered to be one of the more dangerous ANBU Captains. Added to this was the fact that flanking the man on either side were two other ANBU, both of whom were forgoing the traditional mask. One had the chevrons of a Sergeant Major on the front of his grey armor while the other sported the single bar of a Lieutenant. Seeing the tough black ops shinobi brought back memories that the scarred chunin had tried hard to forget.

"Seems like someone needs to be taken back to school," grunted the grizzled Sergeant Major with his five o'clock shadow and cropped white hair as he seemed to clamp his teeth down onto a well smoked cigar in a predatory grin.

Giving a small chuckle the Lieutenant, who seemed to be at least twenty years the junior of both Bunji and the Sergeant, remarked as he brushed a hand through his medium length black hair, "Oh don't be so fussy Hiroto-san, I'm sure this isn't how all guests are greeted…just you."

Turning a dark eye to the young man the older ANBU, now identified as Hiroto, growled, "You best watch yourself around me…Boy. I am a Sergeant Major, a rank I earned while you were still shitting your diapers and these kids were not even twinkles in their parents' eyes."

"I earned my rank through combat just as you did Sergeant Major Hiroto," the young ANBU responded crisply as his eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance while he indicated the older man's full rank. "And I would remind you that I am the Fukutaicho here…."

"Enough, the both of you," barked out Bunji as he shot a one-eyed warning glare and let his voice drop into a low, dark tone. "Be respectful and mindful of where we are _Jokyu Socho_ Hiroto."

As the old Sergeant Major snapped to attention due to his captain calling him by his proper rank the young lieutenant let a small smirk roll over his face. That was until he got his own heated glare from his captain.

"And I would remind you _Fukutaicho_ Juro, that I am still the _Taicho_ here," Bunji stated as he looked to his second-in-command. "Sergeant Major Hiroto and I have fought and bled on many a field together and as such he has my utmost respect and confidence. He answers to me and me alone."

Seeing that he had put both of his subordinates back into their places the gruff ANBU Captain turned his attention back onto a still paralyzed Iruka.

"Forgive me Bunji-taicho!" quickly stated the scarred chunin as he went into a deep and subservient bow in an attempt to apologize. "I should have been more observant."

"You may relax Umino-sensei," Bunji began as his voice took on an easy quality. "I am no longer the hot-headed young man I once was and it will take far more than what you have said to insult me. Besides, it is I who should apologize as I should have notified you that I would be stopping in before you began the exam."

Pulling up from his bow Iruka maintained his deferent tone and asked, "May I inquire as to the nature of your visit Captain?"

"I have come to view the exams," the one eyed ANBU Captain sad frankly as he looked over the nervous students.

"We are honored," spoke up Mizuki from where he had been standing behind Iruka.

"I'm sure you are," Bunji remarked as he left out the fact that other than being at the Academy for observation purposes he and his two subordinates were there to implement the new ANBU recruitment plan after it had been determined which students had passed and which had failed.

"We were just finishing our explanation of the test," sweetly spoke Mizuki as he looked to the imposing trio of ANBU. "We were waiting for one last student to show up…."

"You're holding up an entire exam for one snot-nosed brat?" scornfully noted Hiroto as he shifted his cigar over to the other side of his mouth. "If he ain't here by now then fail his late ass and be done with it."

"Now, now…I'm sure a few extra minutes wouldn't hurt too much," Juro noted as he tapped a foot idly.

Giving a small cough Iruka gained the attention of the room before saying, "We have waited long enough and with your entrance, have even given him some extra time."

"Just out of curiosity who is this wayward student," asked Juro as he gave a sidelong glance to Hiroto, who was smirking at Iruka's statement.

"His name is Uzumaki Naruto," supplied Mizuki.

"Hmm, that one is an interesting character," noted Bunji before either his subordinates or Iruka could offer any other comments. "However, I do agree with you Umino-sensei. He has been given enough time, if he hasn't appeared by now then he should be failed for this section. Should he appear later for the rest of the exam hopefully this will serve as a lesson to him about the need to be on time."

Nodding in agreement Iruka turned to look at his class, catching a few pleading looks from the group of students that were friends of the absent blond. While he did wish to give Naruto more time his hands were tied by the need to be fair to all of his students and not just one whom he had come to see almost as a younger brother.

Letting out a silent sigh before steeling himself Iruka spoke with a firm tone, "Begin."

* * *

Late afternoon had come to Konohagakure and a large group of people had gathered outside of the Konoha Ninja Academy. Waiting with silent anticipation the group held parents, siblings, and friends of the students that were finishing the genin exam within. Even a number of council members had turned up as it wasn't often that so many clan heirs and children from powerful families would be graduating as it presented a perfect opportunity to renew political ties as well as start new 'partnerships'. Having turned out to see the latest crop of genin that would be released from the Academy all those who had gathered waited, hoping that the student they supported would be one of the lucky new genin. 

As the doors of the Academy opened the gathered crowd held their collective breath until a large, cheering mob of new genin came pouring out wearing their new Konoha forehead protectors proudly. Seeing the silvery flash of the leaf symbol on blue cloth caused the myriad assortment of waiting supporters to go crazy as cheers echoed out over the yard of the Academy. Each new genin seemed to have their own celebrations taking place as they were greeted by their supporters. However, one group of new genin seemed to be ignoring the fanfare as they made their way off to the side and away from the large crowd.

"He didn't show up," remarked Ino quietly in a tone of disbelief. "All he talked about was being a strong ninja and he misses the exam."

"Graaaah!" shouted Kiba in frustration as he punched a fist into an open palm. "I'm going to beat him to a pulp the next time I see him!"

"So troublesome," commented Shikamaru despite Chouji taking on a worried expression.

"Don't give us that crap Shikamaru!" yelled Sakura as she and Ino both hit the Nara on the head. "I say we find him right now and…."

"Unfortunately that is easier said than done," interrupted Shino calmly as he leaned up against a tree. "I do not know about the rest of you but I have noted that Naruto has never actually told us where he lives. Many of our encounters occur here and when we make plans to meet."

"He likes going to Ichiraku Ramen so we could check there," supplied Chouji in the hopes of finding his wayward friend.

"That won't work, neither of them know where Naruto lives," added Sasuke as he internally debated leading the group to the Shugorei estate to find the blond. "And I doubt he would be sitting there eating ramen instead of coming to he exam."

(Across the village at the well known ramen stand a certain whiskered blond sneezed, almost spilling one of the large bowls representing his late lunch.)

Honestly Sasuke wanted to storm off to find the blond. Having won the top spot of the class with his exam scores the Uchiha felt cheated as he knew that if Naruto had been their and passed the title would have gone to him. Though he enjoyed winning, Sasuke did not like the idea of winning by default, it went against his pride. The Uchiha heir also felt a desire to see if he finally could fight his friend and rival on equal footing considering he had mastered a few new Katon jutsu recently.

"Ano…why would Naruto-kun miss the exam?" asked Hinata with barely a stutter as she had grown in confidence thanks to the blond she had grown to admire. "What if he's hurt…or sick…or…."

"Easy there Hinata," Ino said in an attempt to calm down the worried girl. "I'm sure he's okay…maybe he just forgot and…."

"No!" shouted Hinata in an unusual showing of defiance before blushing and quieting down again. "Naruto-kun wouldn't forget something like this…he, he couldn't…. Something…something must be wrong."

Moving over next to the Hyuuga heiress to rest a comforting hand on her shoulder as Ino did the same, Sakura tried to bolster the girl. It was becoming increasingly apparent to the girls that Hinata had developed a crush on their whiskered, blond companion, though most of the guys in the group, including Naruto himself, still seemed ignorant to it. Chalking it up to the stupidity of males in general it still caused no end of frustration for Ino and Sakura as well as Hinata in some ways.

As the girls spoke in hushed whispers and Kiba seemed to talk loudly about finding their missing companion Sasuke further debated going to the Shugorei ruins. Part of him agreed with Kiba, but at the same time he also sided with Hinata. While he doubted that the blond could be sick, as hadn't ever seemed to get ill even when the entire class came down with the flu over the winter, the idea that he could be injured or in trouble did arise. Being not only the Shugorei heir but also the son of the Yondaime Hokage as well as being the container of the Kyuubi no Youko, Naruto was in a position of utmost danger. From what he had seen of Naruto's abilities and those belonging to HK-47, Sasuke doubted the Shugorei heir could be taken or killed quietly at home, but that didn't rule out the possibility and it didn't mean that the blond hadn't been ambushed on the way to the Academy. Thankfully before he could reveal his knowledge of Naruto being a Shugorei and suggesting that the group go to the ruined compound the decision was taken out of his hands.

"Well this is interesting," commented the Sandaime Hokage as he walked up behind the small group of friends. "I would think you'd all be enjoying your graduation with those who have come to see you, but here I find you looking conflicted and worried."

Jumping to attention at being in the presence of the Hokage the new group of genin began to bow to their leader and superior before being halted by the man.

"There is no need for that on a day like today," chuckled the old shinobi as he waved off the formal reactions. "To day is your day, a day for happiness and celebration. This makes me wonder as to why you all looking so troubled?"

Unable to find their tongues to respond to the man the group stood in silence for a moment until Sakura spoke up and said, "A friend of ours didn't pass the exam Hokage-sama, in fact he didn't even show up for it and none of us know where he is or if he is alright."

Taking on a look of realization the Hokage smiled as he said, "Ah, I see. Naruto will be touched by your concern though I believe he is completely fine at the moment."

Not knowing how the old man knew who they were referring to the group stood in awe as the Hokage let out a small chuckle.

"You don't need to be concerned," the Sandaime added as he saw the looks on the faces of the children turned shinobi. "Naruto merely had some pressing business regarding a task that I wanted him to take care and that caused him to miss the exam. Iruka has been informed and will schedule a special exam for him to makeup for his absence. I'm sure you will see him when you all meet here next week for your team and jounin sensei assignments, though he may find you to show of his own forehead protector earlier than that."

"Ooo that dummy!" remarked Ino as the group felt some of their tension and concern for their friend melt away. "I bet he got caught trying to pull off a last minute prank! You should punish him more often Hokage-sama!"

"Yeah," chimed in Sakura as both girls seemed to have fire in their eyes. "When we see him next I'm going to give him a piece of my mind for making us worry like this!"

Despite their small display both girls had internally enjoyed the village wide pranks that their whiskered companion often pulled. However, admitting such a thing was tantamount to saying he rivaled Sasuke in both looks and talent. For Ino and Sakura that simply wouldn't do…even if the two adolescent girls had started to find the cerulean eyed blond trading spots with their raven haired crush on occasion in their romantic daydreams.

"Ano…don't you think that's…," Hinata tried to say in Naruto's defense, knowing that 'a piece of her mind' usually meant that Sakura and Ino would give the whiskered blond a mild to severe thrashing.

Seeing that the timid girl was being ignored by the ranting of Sakura, Ino, and surprisingly Kiba as well, Shino put a supportive hand on the shoulder of the Hyuuga heiress while saying, "There is little cause for concern Hinata. Naruto has survived Sakura and Ino before and Kiba offers no serious threat either. I'm sure that…."

"Hey I heard that!" yelled Kiba as he turned to the stoic Aburame. "I'll show you just how much of a threat I can be, right Akamaru?!"

Ignoring the barks of agreement that Kiba was getting from the white pup Shino let out a small sigh as his friend once again proved to be as dense as always. To be completely honest the young bug user sometimes wondered why he had actually become friends with the Inuzuka boy.

"Troublesome, all of you," commented Shikamaru as he put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes before receiving a swift blow from Ino.

Seeing his friend on the ground clutching the large bump that was forming on the top of his head, Chouji gave a small supportive grin before saying, "You should really be more careful about saying such things around Ino."

Giving a hearty chuckle at the antics of the group of new genin the Hokage remarked, "I would suggest that you all should get a move on. It seems that there are a few people waiting for you."

Following the pointed finger of the Hokage the group of friends spied the faces of their parents moving through the crowd towards them. From the large pack of dogs accompanying Tsume and Hana to the elder InoShikaCho trio being quickly followed by their wives to even Aburame Shibi it seemed that nearly every parent had turned out to see their son or daughter display their new Konoha forehead protector triumphantly.

Knowing that the only people waiting for him were a bunch of council members Sasuke began to move to leave the gathering before feeling a sharp tug on his wrist.

"Come on Sasuke-kun," said Sakura happily as she dragged the surprised Uchiha. "I just have to introduce you to my family."

Dread welling up inside of him Sasuke suddenly had a vision of a ball and chain with a shackle on the end form before his eyes. Finding his mouth too dry to protest the Uchiha heir tried to run, but found that Sakura's grip was far too strong.

"_What the hell does she eat?!"_ worried the desperate raven haired boy as he saw himself being pulled towards a group of men and women that had differing shades of red, white, and pink hair.

Watching Sasuke get dragged away by Sakura towards the powerful Haruno merchant family Hinata let out a small giggle as the supposed number one graduate looked as panicked as a small child. However, the mirth soon passed as realization hit the pale lavender eyed girl that her own family was not in attendance. Sure there was most likely a Branch House member waiting to conduct her back to the compound to present her father with the news that she had passed, but the trip would be the normal stoic journey that seemed prevalent and almost expected amongst the Hyuuga. Feeling herself growing sad at the thought that she had been once again forgotten or even worse, regulated to a position of inferiority Hinata let her head fall slightly so the small tears forming in her eyes wouldn't be noticeable.

"Aren't you going to go as well my dear," asked the kindly, old Hokage as he moved next to the depressed Hyuuga heiress. "I think someone is waiting for you."

Raising her head slightly Hinata was about to mumble a goodbye before going with the Branch member sent for her when she saw to where the old man was pointing. Standing out amongst a swarm of council members and flanked by two Branch Family guards stood Hyuuga Hiashi and Hyuuga Hanabi. Feeling her voice catch in her throat Hinata watched as her father bade the guards to keep the politicians away as he made crossed the distance to where his eldest daughter stood; Hanabi traveling with quick little steps next to him.

Seeing her father stop directly in front of her Hinata bowed slightly at the waist and brought her new forehead protector up for his inspection as she said, "Otousama…I…I have passed."

Gazing down towards his firstborn child Hiashi replied in his normal firm voice, "So it appears…."

Feeling tension welling inside her as she waited for him to say something, anything further in recognition of her accomplishment, Hinata felt the weight of the metal plate and blue cloth taken from her hands before looking up towards her father. Watching ever so carefully Hinata noted that an odd look seemed to enter into her father's eyes as his face softened from its normal, chiseled stone perception as the elder Hyuuga seemed to trace the emblem of the Leaf etched into the metal plate. However, before she could study her father further the look was gone, as if it hand been nothing more than a trick of the light.

"You will have Juuken practice with your sister this evening," Hiashi stated calmly as he handed the indicator of his daughter's status as a new kunoichi back to her. "You may have some time to spend with your friends, but I expect you to be in the dojo at eight o'clock sharp."

"Hai," Hinata answered quickly as she clutched her forehead protector tightly to her chest as she watched her father turn back to the waiting guards and council members.

"Congratulations Oneesan," said Hanabi softly before turning quickly to follow.

Whether it was the fact that her father had actually come to see her graduation as a new kunoichi of Konoha or the fact that he hadn't berated her for not being the best of her class or even that her young sister had actually congratulated her, Hinata did not know what exactly had left her with such a wondrous feeling inside. Standing silently for a few seconds to watch her father and sister mingle back into the waiting crowd of politicians the pale eyed girl unconsciously marked it as one of the happiest moments of her life.

"Hey Hinata!" yelled Kiba as he waved over to the slightly stunned girl. "Don't just stand over there come and join the rest of us."

Giving a small start at being hailed after the small moment she had just experienced the Hyuuga heiress noted that alongside Kiba and his family was Shino, Ino, Chouji, Shikamaru and their respected families. Moving quickly to join the small group she never heard the small chuckle of approval that came from the old Hokage.

"If this is what this generation has to offer I can be confident that 'The Will of Fire' is in good hands," the old Sarutobi stated quietly out loud to himself as he watched the new genin mill about.

"Hmm I guess so," Iruka stated softly as he flanked his leader. "However, I am a bit puzzled as to when you informed me that Naruto was being held up with important business and when I exactly agreed to give him a separate exam."

Letting his head fall slightly so that his triangular Hokage hat shadowed his eyes the Sandaime spoke lowly in a guarded voice, "You know well that sometimes things need to be said that aren't necessarily true in order to ease a situation."

"Perhaps," said the scarred chunin as he clasped his hands at his back. "However, that still doesn't explain to me where Naruto is or why he did not attend the exam. The boy is almost fanatical when it comes to wanting to be a strong shinobi, I can't believe that he would miss the exam regardless of any task he was supposedly given."

Staring at his short leader as the old man barely passed the scarred chunin's shoulder Iruka asked in a whisper, "Are you sure he is alright?"

Giving a slight sidelong glance to the young man, Sarutobi knew that Iruka still did not know that Naruto was both the heir to Clan Shugorei as well as the son of the Yondaime Hokage. In some ways he had been hoping that the blond boy would have by now revealed one of those secrets to his favorite teacher and almost older brother figure. However, it seemed that Naruto had other plans, plans that had warranted ignoring the genin exam. What those plans were even he, the Hokage, did not know…but he intended to find out.

"Yes Naruto is fine," the Hokage stated quietly in a small lie as he looked out onto the group of happy students. "I fully expect him to drop into my office later on to discuss why he has decided to forgo the exam…and if he doesn't I intend to drag it out of him even if I have to send for Ibiki."

Nodding in understanding Iruka moved out to mingle with his former students and their parents as appearances must be kept up to avoid suspicion that anything could possibly be amiss. Besides, congratulating the new genin and hearing the praise of their happy families and supporters would at least keep his mind off of the difficulty that was Uzumaki Naruto, even if the praise and congratulating did get mind-numbingly intolerable.

* * *

Sitting quietly in his office as night had descended upon his peaceful village the Sandaime Hokage puffed on his pipe lightly as he read over a report sent to him by Bunji. It seemed that the ANBU Captain and his two subordinates had gotten nearly half of the failed Academy students from the day's exam to volunteer for the new ANBU Training Division. Reading further the old man found that the Captain had projected gaining at least half to even three-quarters of the genin who would fail the tests put forward by their jounin sensei nest week. On top of this a large group of failed students from previous years had come out of civilian life to also apply for the new program. So far it seemed that the first official group underneath the new Training Division would consist of nearly sixty-eight trainees. Of course Bunji had written in a small note at the bottom of the report that he expected to cut that number down during training and then make more manageable groups once it was considered that the trainees were ready to begin actual missions. The one eyed Captain had also noted that he fully expected to have at least a third of the group ready for full ANBU duty upon completion of the training period late in the summer, with further training being handled by the individual divisions and squads the new operatives would be assigned to. 

"_Twenty-three young shinobi or so, left over from a group of nearly seventy,"_ silently noted the Hokage as he leaned back into his chair. _"I know he has refined the training methods to be hard so as to produce strong ANBU replacements and reserves, but still that is not as many as I was initially led to believe. At least the projection is better than what we were using."_

Taking a long draw on his pipe Sarutobi thought about how much the planned program had changed since Bunji had agreed to take up the position of Captain. Unlike the old 'Ne' program the new 'Ne' program, now more appropriately called the Strategic ANBU Reserve and Replacement Operation, would not be as brutal or out of control. Bunji had been an excellent choice to head the program as the man was a firm believer of growing stronger but not at the expense of destroying the values and ideals of Konoha or cutting away the individualism of a shinobi which often led to positive innovation and growth.

"Falling asleep in your office Jiisan?" taunted Naruto as he silently stepped into the room from a shadow on in the corner. "I knew you were getting old but I didn't think you had gotten this far along."

Casting a look that told exactly how he was not amused the Hokage responded in a fuming tone, "You have a great deal of explaining to do."

Moving to the chair that seemed to have been purposefully left out for him, Naruto removed his sheathed Zanpakuto from his back in order to sit. With the weapon being a bit longer than his old katana the blond had found that while he could still easily carry it on his back it was uncomfortable to wear while sitting on any piece of furniture properly.

Laying the embodiment of his Shugorei heritage across his lap the whiskered boy replied, "Oh, what about?"

Slapping the report he had been reading down hard the old Hokage almost erupted in anger as his voice rose suddenly as he exclaimed, "What about, what about?! Well how about once again ignoring your friends or how about deciding to skip the genin exam held earlier today and failing to tell anyone as to why!"

Sitting quietly in his chair part of the young Shugorei cringed as this was one of the few times he had ever truly seen his grandfather figure show his displeasure so vocally and only the second time he had been on the receiving end of it.

"If I had told anyone it would have made its way back to you and you would have done something to try and stop me," stated Naruto simply as he let his hands rest on the sheath of his Zanpakuto. "I needed to do this and I needed to do it in a way that would make it so that little could be done after the fact."

Biting down on the tip of his pipe as his teeth ground slightly Sarutobi growled, "That is not an acceptable answer Naruto. I want the truth from you, not some vague references and glib remarks. If I wanted that then I would convene the council or conjure the spirit of your Hijijisan to appear before me."

Letting out a sigh, knowing that any further delay would not help matters, the Shugorei heir explained, "I did not go to the exam because I do not wish to become a genin."

Reeling back slightly as if he had almost been struck in the face with a cold towel the Hokage asked in confusion, "Why would you not want to become a genin? You always talk about becoming a strong shinobi, so why suddenly decide not to take the exam? It's…."

"I never said that I didn't want to become a shinobi," stated the blond boy simply. "However, it is not the only way to become a shinobi of Konoha."

Narrowing his eyes at the statement the Hokage remarked, "The other ways require approval of the Hokage or the council and we both know already that neither is an option for you. Now…."

"There is a new option that is open to me," the Shugorei heir noted as he interrupted once again with a thin smirk of triumph. "I helped introduce it, procure the funding for it, provide leadership for it, and then get it passed by the council and you as well. Being that I am a failed genin candidate I can now volunteer for it."

Eyes widening in a look of shock at the way everything had seemed to have been maneuvered by the young boy sitting before him Sarutobi clutched at his desk as realization hit him.

"Oh don't be too stunned Hokage-jiji," Naruto commented as he tapped his sheathed Zanpakuto. "You should have noted it a few months ago when you took me on that little excursion I requested."

Letting his mind wander back to the event that Naruto had brought up the Hokage began to pick his way over it to find the clues he had missed.

* * *

It was the middle of winter and Konoha was currently being pounded by a storm of freezing rain. However, the weather was of little concern deep within the confines of the underground training facility created years ago for Konoha's ANBU by Clan Shugorei. Standing in silence an odd trio watched as a group of ninja and kunoichi, who had been selected as ANBU candidates, lazed about while a gruff and grizzled man in ANBU armor with the emblem for the rank of Sergeant Major made his way towards the group leading two younger ANBU each with the markings of a basic Sergeant. 

"All right you pieces of shit!" yelled Sergeant Major Hiroto as he came to stop in front of the lax group. "You will stand at attention before me or I will drop kick each and every one of you off the Hokage Mountain!"

As the group of ninja and kunoichi quickly moved into a set of lines Hiroto seemed to watch with increasing displeasure as the two sergeants who accompanied him began to correct the formation until it stood closer to perfection.

"I am Jokyu Socho Hiroto…and I…am a Sergeant Major! Why I have been saddled with the lot of you is beyond me!" the gruff man with closely cropped white hair yelled. "For some odd reason someone in command thinks I am the best at training new recruits into ANBU! The truth is I don't care about that! All that I do is just break you down and build you up until you are at the very least a damn fine shinobi! Do you get me?!"

"Sir! We get you! Sir!" thundered the response of the assembled group as some of the members began to wonder if wanting to join the ANBU had been a major mistake.

"If you would kindly address your attention to the right you will see that you all hope to become," growled Hiroto as pointed towards a group of ANBU practicing on a skills course.

Seeing his gathered group looking over at the black ops members with wonder and awe the grizzled Sergeant Major violently commanded, "Avert your eyes!"

With looks of confusion mixed with fear the candidates snapped their heads back to look to the front where the yell had originated from the man they were now beginning to sense could even make a demon apprehensive.

"You do not have the right to look upon them yet," stated Hiroto with a distinct disdain aimed at the ANBU hopefuls. "As you are right now you are nothing more than unorganized pieces of shit and I will not have you sullying active duty operatives with your childish stares. If I or any one of the other trainers catches any of you looking towards one of them without our permission the entire group will be punished until the mistake has been adequately corrected."

While he spoke the bald Sergeant Major began to pace up and down the line, inspecting the shinobi that hoped to enter into the service of the ANBU.

"Over the course of your training you will discover many things, one of which is that though I will be hard on you I will also be fair," Hiroto said as he stopped his pacing before his voice once again grew loud. "I will work you into the ground, but I will show no signs of favoritism to any of you. I do not care who you are, what your position was before coming here, or what you think you deserve! To me you are…All…Equally…Worthless!"

Turning to stare directly into the eyes of each and everyone of the gathered group the grizzled ANBU yelled, "To me you are pukes, you are maggots, you are scum! You aren't even human-fucking-beings!"

Standing before the group as his voice echoed across the grounds the Sergeant Major continued in a firm voice, "I have been given the task of forming you into ANBU, to do this I and the other trainers will do everything we can to achieve that goal. You will be worked into the ground, you will be hurt and you will be pushed to the absolute limit. Some of you will not make it to become ANBU, be it that you fail out and are removed by me or another trainer or you are injured and removed for medical concerns. Others of you will simply quit because you will not be able to handle the strain placed upon you."

Taking a moment to let the notion find its deserved place in the minds of the new recruits Hiroto motioned for his two subordinates. Catching the signal the men began to run through a few handseals before slapping there hands down on the ground. In between the two was a sudden burst of smoke that dissipated to show a large brass bell supported on a by a large tripod with a hammer hanging on a chain next to the bell.

"Now if for any reason any of you want to quit all you will have to do is ring this bell three times," Hiroto said as one of the sergeants took the hammer and struck the bell thrice to let its din carry out through the training facility. "If you do this then it's all over. No more hurt, no more pain, no more of mean old Sergeant Major Hiroto. You will be allowed to return to your previous duties and no penalty will befall you. Hell, you can even try to enter the program in the future if you actually think yourself to be in a more proper condition."

Stepping up to the large bell Hiroto remarked, "So who right now wants to quit and go home? Anybody want to ring the bell? No? Well that's just fine."

Giving a small motion to his two subordinate trainers Hiroto watched as the two ANBU began to yell orders.

"If no one wants to quit then I guess you are all ready to train!" yelled the grizzled ANBU Sergeant Major over the shouts of the two men. "Take these maggots over to the sandpits; let's see if they are as tough as they think they are!"

Watching from a short distance away as the group of trainees was forced to run as the trainers yelled and cursed, the trio of observers stood for a moment before one of them finally spoke.

"It seems that Hiroto hasn't lost his touch," commented Bunji from where he stood next to his Hokage. "This only confirms why I want him as my lead trainer when my division starts getting its recruits."

"Hmm, he could be a benefit to you," noted the Hokage as he clasped his hands behind his back. "However, there are far younger sergeants and trainers to help you…."

"Begging your pardon Hokage-sama," interrupted Bunji. "But I already have that young pup, Juro, as my second in command per your recommendation, I don't need another one. What I need are trainers with experience and who know when to push a recruit and how far to do so to get the best possible outcome. Juro is young and bright, but he knows more about combat operations than training since he is transferring over from the Main Battle Unit."

Smiling slightly Sarutobi remarked, "Hiroto is also a member of that division considering they have been supplying trainers due to the lack of war. I was under the impression that you selected Juro based on his qualifications not because I recommended him."

"He is qualified and resourceful, I'll give you that," said the one eyed ANBU Captain as he crossed his arms over his grey armored chest. "And yet he is still far too inexperienced for my liking. Hiroto brings experience as well as skill to the table. If he would actually accept a promotion to a commissioned officer then I would have made him my second-in-command."

"Hmm, yes," noted the Hokage as he stroked his goatee. "Hiroto has been very adamant about liking to 'actually work for a living' whenever he turns the chance to move out of being a non-commissioned officer."

"The two of them will most likely butt heads together because of tier age gap and differing methods of training, but they will help me make the program far more effective than the old, inefficient ways," observed Bunji as he adjusted one of his forearm guards.

As the Hokage nodded in silent approval the third member of the group suddenly spoke.

"Pardon me Bunji-taicho," interjected Shugorei/Uzumaki Naruto. "But could you explain a bit of what just happened and what this new program is you are talking with Jiisan about?"

Casting a one eyed glance to the Academy student Bunji recalled how the Hokage had explained earlier about being the boy's guardian and working to encourage him to grow into a strong shinobi, citing that an example of the training of Konoha's best would be helpful. Taking it as a polite request instead of a strict order Bunji had agreed reluctantly as it would give him the opportunity to talk with the Hokage about some key personnel, like Hiroto, he wanted transferred. Answering a few questions and playing tour guide would at the very least get him away from the office and desk he was now saddled with.

"_I should see about getting an assistant to solely do my paperwork, maybe that cute little chunin in filing. What was her name again? Oh that's right, Maya. Got to remember that beside her shapely ass,"_ the one eyed man silently noted before a small blush colored his cheeks before disappearing quickly.

Unbeknownst to the old bachelor, as he was trying to dismiss the small perverted thoughts he was having, the truth that about this small tour was that Naruto had requested the opportunity from the Hokage as a way to see what the program he had proposed and backed would resemble as well as how Bunji carried himself. So far the Shugorei heir was impressed by the man's steadfastness towards duty and finding the best people for the positions he had open in the training program's command structure.

"The method you just saw has been the beginning of the standard training regimen for all Konoha ANBU for the past thirty-five years or so," explained Bunji calmly as he looked out to onto the training facility. "It is a refined method of the original training method established with the ANBU by Clan Shugorei after Konoha's founding, however both systems suffer from flaws that haven't been fully solved. The major one is that recruits for the ANBU come from our regular shinobi either as volunteers or as people we have 'tapped' for service. While we do get good candidates who make excellent ANBU it is an inefficient system. These shinobi have already established themselves outside the ANBU and will often decide during training that returning to that position is preferable to going through the difficulty of becoming a true ANBU."

"It explains why we often only get around ten percent of the training group as full ANBU members at the end of the training," the Hokage supplied as he turned to the young blond. "While the ten percent of the recruits that remain are the best it makes it difficult to replace losses suffered by the ANBU."

Noting that the group they had just seen was only thirty strong Naruto exclaimed in fake surprise, "You mean that of all those shinobi we just saw only three will become ANBU?! That's crazy!"

"Yes it is," remarked Bunji with a subtle nod. "At the very best we can hope that it could be a special class and match the record of twenty percent passing, but that is still not very good."

Standing in silence for a moment the hidden Shugorei responded falsely, "But can't you just make the class bigger or relax the standards a bit?"

Giving a shake of his head in the negative the old ANBU Captain explained, "Such changes wouldn't help as it would lower the quality of the ANBU divisions over time as weaker and less qualified members were admitted. No, what is needed is the new training program."

"New training program?" questioned the whiskered boy with mock confusion. "What new program?"

Looking to the Hokage before receiving a small nod the one eyed Captain explained further, "While I won't go into the details, needless to say I will be overseeing a new division of the ANBU solely devoted to training new recruits and replacing our losses. It has been difficult finding adequate solutions to many of the problems, but I am hoping to increase the quantity of new ANBU members while maintaining the overall quality by utilizing a new training program."

"How would this be different from the program already in existence?" asked Naruto while internally knowing the answer already.

"As I said I won't go into specifics that could jeopardize the program, but I can tell you that many of the new recruits will be more inclined to stick it out in the program than give up," Bunji said before noting that Hiroto was returning with an exhausted looking chunin. "We lose most of our recruits because they can go back to being a shinobi in a different field because of previous training. The new program will get recruits who have only minimalist training and truly desire to be shinobi enough so as to tough it out considering the ANBU may be their last chance to enter into the shinobi forces of Konoha."

Turning as the three sharp tones came from the large brass bell Naruto spied the man who had been running with the Sergeant Major slump to the ground.

"Well Hiroto is going to be in a happier mood," commented Bunji. "He takes a unique pleasure in driving out anyone who would weaken the core of the ANBU."

"Hmm," hummed the Hokage in notice as Bunji began to move towards the waiting Sergeant Major.

"If there is nothing else for us to discuss Hokage-sama I wish to inform Hiroto of his imminent transfer," Bunji stated calmly as he started to step away before catching the slight nod from his superior. "Oh and Naruto…if you desire to become a strong shinobi maybe I will see you in my program once it has been established."

Watching the ANBU captain walk away Naruto's eyes seemed to twinkle slightly as plans formed in his mind.

* * *

Sitting behind his desk as he put the pieces together Sarutobi said neutrally, "So you are planning to join the new ANBU training program…I should have realized it." 

"I helped to plan the whole thing out from behind the scenes," Naruto remarked as he looked to the displeased old man across from him. "If I truly wish for it to succeed and desire for it to be accepted I should stand by it and be one its first successes."

"In a way that is very honorable of you Naruto," the Hokage said in a quiet voice as he stared into the blue eyes of the boy before him. "However, I can't allow it…you are too valuable to simply be wasted in the ANBU. I have plans for you, I hope for you to grow in a way that would make you one of the new leaders of Konoha, possibly even Hokage one day…like your father."

The room stood in silence for a moment as the words of the old 'Professor' seemed to hang in the air. Naruto seemed to have the look of one who had just been slapped. The blond boy seemed to be warring with himself as to how to respond to the reference and what some would see as a compliment.

"A leader should be willing to face the same difficulties as his subordinates," commented Naruto coldly as his annoyance peaked slightly before being tamped back down. "By joining the program I am fulfilling that requirement. I…."

"Perhaps you are and perhaps you aren't," interrupted the Sandaime calmly as he pulled his pipe from his mouth and set it down to rest on a small holder. "Your action speaks to me of selfishness. Doing this seems as if you are abandoning your friends and the progress you have made at the Academy in favor of a path you perceive as being quicker and easier. Are you so afraid of developing in a way that isn't preplanned that you are running from all of it just to hide behind something you think you can control?"

Before Naruto could answer a loud knocking was heard from the door to the office as several shouts for the Hokage rang through the heavy wood of the door.

"It never seems to end," the old Hokage noted tiredly as he stood up from behind his desk and began to move to the door. "This conversation isn't over yet so stay where you are Naruto."

Hearing the command Naruto remained seated, though he hadn't planned on leaving before getting his point across. Slightly bored the boy looked to the scroll that had unfurled after the Hokage had slammed it down onto the desk. Spying several names the Shugorei heir felt a small smirk tug at his face. It seemed that a major part of his plan had worked.

About a month ago the whiskered boy had met with Danzo to discuss some political matters that had come up before the council regarding the gruesome assassination of Tsubasa, but in all honesty that had been merely a key for what Naruto had truly been planning. The scarred Elder seemed unaware that the person who had orchestrated the grisly act was sipping teat with him as they discussed possible ways of capitalizing on the event. After finalizing a few plans of action given differing circumstances that could arise, Naruto had made a suggestion regarding the new ANBU training program and the small training corps that Danzo had at his disposal. Suggesting that the young 'Ne' trainees be transferred into the program had almost ended the meeting until Naruto had explained that doing so would allow the scarred Elder to expand 'Ne' right under the Hokage' nose using a program that had been deemed safe from political machinations. Of course that had mostly been a lie on his part, but Naruto knew that he had to do something that would get the young boys away from the brutal training and dangerous ends that Danzo represented. It wasn't much of a way out, but it was at least something.

Having spied several of the codenames assigned to the young 'Ne' operatives, who had been stripped of almost any form of identity over the years, Naruto let his smirk grow. Danzo had proved that old saying that powerful individuals always seek more power as the man had taken the bait of using the young operatives to subtly spread the ideas of a dominant, militaristic Konoha.

"_It's almost too bad that he's so in love with the idea of his own power,"_ thought the whiskered Shugorei as he leaned back into his chair. _"He could have done so much more if not for that."_

"_**It is a dangerous gamble you are taking with that man,"**_ commented the voice of the blond boy's Zanpakuto. _**"He may be scarred but he isn't blind, sooner or later he'll realize how you are manipulating the deals between the two of you…that is if he hasn't already and is now playing you to gain his own ends."**_

The words of the inner soul struck Naruto and caused the boy to think hard for a moment. Danzo wasn't someone to take lightly. The old man had been in the running for the title of Sandaime Hokage and would have been a candidate for the position of Yondaime if not for his grievous injuries. Considering that he was still a major power broker and could operate without the knowledge of the Hokage if the man didn't know what was happening exactly he at least suspected something.

"_Working with Danzo is definitely precarious," _thought Naruto in response to the words of his Zanpakuto. _"Precautions must be taken, but I can't simply walk away at this point."_

"_**Indeed, caution is advisable especially considering that knowledge about what you did to the old Uchiha Steward would most likely turn the Hokage against you,"**_ stated the voice of the demonic samurai. _**"You should have covered the murder up as a suicide or placed the blame far way from yourself by having it point to one of the man's partners."**_

"_While I could have done either, neither would have served as great as an example,"_ internally remarked the Shugorei Heir. _"With everything still unknown and rumors circulating about many of the politicians who weren't arrested and are just as corrupt are now eyeing each other with suspicion. The power blocs that they formed in the council are at best, shaky leaving Hokage-jiisan's bloc stable and in the long run the one that will survive."_

"_**Let it never be said that you aren't clever," **_noted the Zanpakuto.

Nodding to himself in agreement with the entity Naruto did feel a small wave of disappointment hit him. Whether it was because of what the old Hokage had just said to him or because the young Shugorei still had yet to hear the name of his Zanpakuto, despite numerous attempts during training over the past few moths, Naruto couldn't be sure. What he was sure about was that everything he did and planned to do would be for his clan, his village, and those whom he held close. Regardless of how it would one day reflect upon his honor the Shugorei heir considered it to be a small price to pay for the overall goal.

"But he has been sitting with me the entire time…what you're saying is impossible," the voice of the Hokage seemed to rise and break the whiskered blond from his contemplation.

Tuning his hearing in so as to find out what was going on Naruto glanced over his shoulder to see the Sandaime standing with a small group of ninja.

"I don't know what to say Hokage-sama," said a chunin with thick glasses. "From what was observed it was Uzumaki Naruto seen leaving the secure archives. The guards were unable to stop him and now the Scroll of Forbidden Seals is missing. One of the guards reports that a large scroll was on the back of Uzumaki."

"The brat stole the scroll, plan and simple!" yelled a jounin with an eye patch on his left eye and a ninjato on his back. "Iruka has already taken off with others to search for him, but we must set the village on alert. What if the de…?!"

"Enough!" shouted the Hokage before turning to point into the room towards the chair before his desk. "Naruto is sitting right there and has been for quite some time!"

"Umm Hokage-sama, there is no one in that chair," remarked a sickly looking shinobi with a katana strapped to his back as he coughed into his hand several times.

Turning at the man's words the Hokage saw that they were true. Naruto was no longer sitting in the chair and one of the large windows was now open to the night air.

"_Damn it all Naruto,"_ the Hokage silently cursed before a small, hidden smile crossed his face. _"You're more like your father than you care to admit and it seems you are doing what I expected."_

Turning back to the assembled group and hiding the subtle grin the old Hokage began to shout orders.

* * *

Umino Iruka was racing through the forest in Konohagakure. Having joined the pursuit after hearing that Naruto was being accused of stealing the Scroll of Forbidden Seals the scarred chunin only hoped that his quarry hadn't reached the walls of the village yet. 

"_Why would you do something like this Naruto?"_ internally seethed the Academy instructor as he raced to an area near the northern wall of Konoha. _"First you miss the exam and now you apparently stole the most dangerous scroll in the entire village. What's come over you?"_

Ducking below a set of branches as he catapulted off a tree Iruka began to contemplate, _"This seems too easy, usually Naruto has several traps waiting to secure his escape when he pulls off a prank, he plans things out in detail. This can't have just been a whim of his it doesn't fit what I've seen from him."_

Iruka began to go over everything he had seen of his student since they had met. Naruto was secretive to an extent, but at the same time he had a very straight forward sense of honor. Stealing seemed to be something that the boy would not normally do unless he was on a mission had had direct orders.

"_Could there be someone manipulating him?" _wondered the chunin as he vaulted over a small creek, _"No, Naruto wouldn't simply let himself get put into such a position."_

Having split with the group as the original trail broke into several Iruka was now following a path that he hoped would take him to the blond before anyone else had the chance to find him.

"_If one of the shinobi that sees him as the Kyuubi finds him first Naruto will be executed instead of arrested,"_ the scarred man worried as he began to run along a small game trial that had apparently been used to try and cover any tracks. _"I can't let that happen…if Naruto is to at fault I have to bring him in myself. Damn, why did Kakashi have to out on a mission? I could really use his help and those dogs of his. I swore that I wouldn't, but I have no choice at the moment."_

Coming to a stop by large tree the Academy instructor closed his eyes and began to run through a complex set of handseals before opening them wide and saying, "Karyudo no Mokushi."

As the words escaped his mouth Iruka's eyes began to glow with chakra before taking on the luminescent quality associated with creatures that favored hunting in darkened places.

Blinking a few times to stabilize his eyesight as the darkness brightened Iruka thought, as he began to look around for any signs that would have been unnoticeable if not for his enhanced vision, _"I forgot how painful it is to use this after so many years of disuse. Oath or no I should have kept in practice."_

Catching sit of a small yellow patch that was starting to fade to green as the heat bled away from it the chunin moved over to see that it was part of a mark left by a standard shinobi sandal, one that was the size of a twelve year old boy's foot.

"_Naruto,"_ thought Iruka as he took off in the direction the track was pointing.

Running and leaping as he followed small heat tracks that had been left sporadically on the trail as it moved from the ground to the tree limbs above and back down again in the effort to throw off pursuit, the brown haired chunin found that the prints were leading him to a place he was somewhat familiar with.

Deactivating his jutsu as he could feel it draining away his chakra reserves the Academy instructor thought to himself, _"Yep, definitely have to start training again. I haven't been in this bad of shape until right after I became a chunin, before I joined the…."_

Stopping his train of thought as he came upon a small, familiar shack that he recognized as one of the hidden entrances and exits from the village Iruka spotted a figure in orange and blue trying to open the door. Not waiting to see if the boy would succeed the scarred chunin launched forward to spear the whiskered blond.

Pushing down on the body beneath him before drawing a kunai and putting it to the soft throat of the blond Iruka looked into the cerulean orbs of Uzumaki Naruto.

"What…what are you doing sensei?" stuttered Naruto as he looked up at his teacher with a bit of fear flowing into his eyes.

"You have been accused of stealing something very dangerous Naruto," Iruka stated dispassionately as he held his kunai firmly. "And now I come to find you trying to gain access to a secret tunnel. What do you think you're doing?"

Looking Iruka straight in the eye the blond boy replied nervously as a small drop of blood began to form on the kunai's edge, "I heard about what was going on…someone holding a large scroll was entering that shack. I…I was about to follow them but you tackled me."

Glancing over to where the shack was to see if any trace of another person had been there Iruka suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen before receiving a hard kick that pushed him off the blond. As he fell backwards the chunin threw the kunai he had been holding to strike Naruto in the shoulder. Landing on his back to see a small stab wound that had gone through his chunin vest to let blood flow freely the Academy instructor slapped a hand over it to try and stop the bleeding.

"I had counted on someone finding me, but I can't believe I was lucky enough to get you sensei," Naruto said with a smirk as he pulled the kunai from his shoulder to match the second, bloody knife that was in his left hand. "You're so trusting that it makes me sick."

Quickly dodging as one of the kunai was thrown at him, Iruka brought his bloody hand up join his other hand to make a few seals.

"Doku Kiri," said the wounded man as he pulled in a deep breath before letting it out quickly as a purple mist of poison boiled forth from his mouth in the direction of the blond.

Leaping away to avoid the cloud as the grass and plants it touched seemed to wither and die Naruto threw the second kunai he held before disappearing into the surrounding trees.

Blinded slightly by the bank of poison gas he had just breathed out Iruka didn't see the weapon that had been launched at him until it burst through the mist to hit him in the leg. Giving a small cry the man pulled it free before settling into a defensive stance.

"I don't know why you are doing this Naruto," Iruka said firmly as he scanned the area as his poison cloud dissipated before quickly dodging to the side as the blond came rushing in to deliver a right cross followed by a set of quick kicks.

"The scroll is everything I could ever want," the whiskered boy said as whipped out a new kunai to clash against the one held by the brown haired chunin. "It offers me the power I need to grow beyond you and anyone else."

"You don't mean that," pleaded the Academy instructor as he twisted away from a close stab. "If the Kyuubi is trying to influence you say something, Hokage-sama can help you if the seal is weakening."

As the words hit the blond he seemed to pause for a moment. Stopping as well in the hopes that he had gotten through to his student Iruka suddenly realized a major detail that he hadn't noticed earlier…Naruto was not wearing a sword across his back nor had he used one the entire fight.

Distracted by that fact for a moment Iruka let out a bloody cough as a hard knee caught him in the stomach while he thought, _"Naruto always has that new sword with him, the one he got just after his birthday…." _

"You're so slow now sensei," taunted Naruto as he stood over the man. "To think you used to be a real shinobi back before you went soft. Are you scared of all that blood you spilled?"

"What makes you think that?" the scarred chunin said with a frown as he glared upwards before exploding in a large explosion of white smoke to be replaced by a small log.

"Kawarimi, eh? What a pitiful trick, but what can one expect from someone used to be a premier shinobi until he had his little attack of conscience and now spends all of his time teaching snot nosed brats!" the whiskered boy said loudly as he shifted his gaze around the wooded clearing before feeling the cold edge of a kunai press close once again to his neck.

"You're not Naruto," stated Iruka coldly as he held the bald to the false boy. "He always has his sword with him and prefers it to just using kunai in combat."

Tightening his grip on the kunai he held to the boy he now knew was an impostor the brown haired man continued saying, "Plus, I've never said anything about the details of my early shinobi career to him and he has respected my privacy enough not to seek out those secrets. I trust and respect him just as he does me."

"Hmm, seems you aren't as useless as I thought. However, your still a whiny little bitch," the fake blond stated with a dark giggle before exploding into a familiar puff of white smoke.

"Kage Bunshin?" Iruka said in surprise before he heard a soft whirling sound.

Trying to gaze past the smoke that had blinded the area in front of him, Iruka saw a small shadow flying towards him. Rolling to the side quickly the chunin managed to avoid the large, four pointed shuriken that flew past to cut through a few small saplings before lodging in a thick evergreen. Now off balance thanks to the dodge Iruka was ill prepared as a hail of kunai and normal sized shuriken slammed into him.

Staggering back to lean against the wall of the shack Iruka coughed several times as the taste of blood invaded his mouth and throat. Looking down the man saw that he had several of the throwing weapons lodged in him, from the tops of his thighs to his belly and chest.

"_And I'm having trouble breathing on top of tasting blood,"_ noted the brown haired chunin as he chalked it up to at worst being a small puncture in one of his lungs, though he did notice that the area around the wounds was growing numb rather quickly. _"Poison…that explains it. This isn't good."_

"Well I guess my praise was a bit premature," said a familiar silver haired Academy instructor as he came out of the shadows with a second large shuriken strapped to his back.

"Mizuki…," wheeze Iruka as he slumped down as his legs started to give out as the poison began to numb his entire body. "Why…?"

Letting out a harsh laugh the bandana wearing chunin replied, "For power what else! Unlike you I'm not afraid of doing what is necessary to achieve what I desire!"

Staring at the bragging man Iruka slipped a standard issue blood pill into his mouth to fight off the dizziness that was pulling at his senses.

"You are so pathetic Iruka, you may have been a prankster in school but afterwards your true colors showed through. You became one of the best assassins in the ANBU," Mizuki said as he came to stand over his former friend. "Then one day you just gave it all up, the power, the glory, the freedom…it was rumored that you were in line to become the next Captain of the Division. Instead you let that slut take over when Hatake offered the position to you. She denied me entry just because of that stupid rumor and what was even worse is I had to play your assistant in front of all those stupid brats!"

Trying to buy some time in the hopes that someone would come upon the scene Iruka gasped out, "So you decided to steal the scroll just because you got passed over for a promotion…you're far more pathetic then I am."

Lashing out to kick the scarred man in the side of the head and send him rolling away from the shed Mizuki screamed in rage, "You may have let your skills deteriorate, but I've grown stronger! Once I discover the secrets of the Forbidden Scroll I'll be strong enough to challenge even the Hokage!"

Iruka had landed hard as his head ached from the kick and he could feel the left side of his face beginning to swell up as he thought, _"That's going to be one hell of a bruise if I survive this."_

"I should have been an ANBU, but instead I have to play babysitter all day long," the silver haired man ranted as he looked to where he had licked his former comrade. "On top of that I had to put up with that demon. I can't believe you would accept him after all he has done!"

Looking back over to where Mizuki stood half-crazed, the scarred chunin let a small laugh escape his lips causing the silver haired man to become further enraged.

"You don't get it Mizuki…you never have," stated the wounded man in a pitying tone. "Everyone knew that you had killed a comrade in order to escape capture, we just couldn't prove it. You were your own worst enemy as your ambition was only surpassed by you weakness and cowardice."

Propping himself up on his elbows as he tried to focus some chakra to try and counteract the poison in his system Iruka exclaimed, "Naruto isn't a demon. He is a true shinobi and even though he knows about being the container he doesn't let that define him. He strives to prove himself to be the best and works hard to become stronger, unlike you…Traitor!"

"Shut up!" screamed Mizuki as he lashed out with another kick, this time to Iruka's chest, driving the wind from the already gasping chunin and turning him over to land on his stomach, before taking kunai and shoving it into the downed man's back. "I am not weak! That whore denied me a position because of you! She's always chasing after you and you probably made a deal with her to humiliate me!"

Though his ribs felt like they may be broken and his back was now on fire as the kunai was lodged in his shoulder blade, Iruka let out a low chuckle at his predicament. The wounded man realized Mizuki was no longer functioning sanely, instead the silver haired man was rationalizing gossip and rumors before letting his imagination explain why his predicament was so bad. In a way noted the downed Academy instructor, it was almost poetic that it looked like he would die here at the hands of Mizuki considering that at the time he had been in the ANBU he had so enjoyed killing rogue shinobi, especially those who were half crazed.

"You're pathetic Iruka," Mizuki sneered as he undid the clasp on his back to take the large shuriken in hand while walking across the clearing towards a set of bushes opposite the dilapidated shack. "I'd leave you to suffer, but I can't take the chance that you'll live long enough to reveal the truth about me framing that demon."

Starting the large bladed weapon spinning like a buzz-saw, Mizuki lifted his arm to throw it as he yelled, "Take some pride in the fact that your fall will ensure my rise!"

Stepping forward as he threw the large, spinning weapon, Mizuki let an insane smile play across his face as the weapon released from his grasp.

Watching the blur of sharpened metal moving towards him everything seemed to slow down for a moment for Umino Iruka. Though most people would close their eyes as a natural defensive instinct the chunin kept his eyes open as the implement of his death grew ever closer to his face. Staring at the weapon and the figure of Mizuki behind it Iruka's vision seemed to blur for an instant before an object appeared directly in front of him to block the sight of his demise.

A loud 'clang' of metal hitting metal echoed through the clearing as Shugorei Naruto stood with his unsheathed Zanpakuto drawn and held in an outstretched right arm, having just deflected the large weapon. Narrowing his eyes as he brought his sword down to grasp it with both hands before turning it slightly to catch the reflection of the moonlight upon the width of the blade, Naruto stood silently before seeming to blur out of the vision of both Iruka and Mizuki.

Before the traitorous chunin could look about the area to see where the whiskered blond had disappeared to he suddenly felt a presence behind him as a sharp pain erupted from the center of his chest.

"My clan has one ironclad law" stated Naruto coldly as he held the pommel of his Zanpakuto as the blade pierced through Mizuki's back and out through the man's chest. "Never betray."

Giving a sharp tug as he pulled the blade free and then gave it a quick twirl to let the blood fly off of it the Shugorei heir continued saying in a low whisper, "Be grateful that I end you so quickly instead of prolonging your suffering traitor."

Watching as Mizuki slumped to his knees before falling face first into the ground Iruka couldn't take his eyes off his young student, who had seemingly rescued him.

"Quite the interesting night wouldn't you say sensei," sarcastically remarked Naruto as he gave his sword a small twirl to clear it of blood before sheathing it and walking over to the wounded man as he reached into his vest for a scroll that held sealed medical supplies.

"Is it…is it really you this time Naruto?" asked Iruka as he launched into a fit of body racking coughs.

Cocking and eyebrow as he unsealed a set of pressure bandages for the wounds suffered by the brown haired chunin, the blond boy asked, "Why wouldn't I be me?"

Giving a short laugh at the response before letting out a small cry of pain as one of the shuriken was pulled out of his chest before a square, adhesive bandage was slapped over the puncture Iruka replied, "As you said before, it's been quite the interesting night…ow, do you know what the hell you are doing?!"

Letting a sheepish grin play on his face as he scratched the back of his head Naruto began to reply before he was suddenly pushed to the ground as Iruka surged forward to cover him while the old wooden shack suddenly seemed to erupt in an explosion of flames next to them.

"Damn, it seems you still have some fight in you after all," remarked Mizuki as he stood with his hands out in the final hand seal for a Katon jutsu.

Pushing themselves off the ground to stare at the traitor Iruka and Naruto took on looks of confusion at how the man was still alive after being run through by the blond boy's blade.

"Did you really think that I would be beaten so easily?!" shouted the deranged man as his bandana slipped off his head. "I told you before that I have grown stronger, more so than you can even imagine!"

Coming to his feet Naruto looked over to see that Iruka now had several large wooden splinters poking from his back as the wounded chunin rested on his hands and knees.

Letting out a maniacal cackle before ripping off his chunin vest and the dark blue shirt underneath Mizuki pointed to a large, black skull that rested on his right shoulder as he said, "This was a power bestowed onto me by someone far greater than even that old fossil of a Hokage."

As the black skull seemed to pulse with a dark aura Mizuki's body seemed to change as his muscles began to grow and his skin began to take on a distinctively orange coloring. The transformation began to accelerate as the man's pants ripped in several places to accommodate the larger muscles while the man's sandals simply broke apart as his feet grew in size as claws seemed to form from his toes. Flexing his hands as they too took on a claw like appearance Mizuki let out a crazed laugh as he bared a set of large fangs.

Not moving an inch Naruto watched as the former Leaf chunin seemed to transform into a cross between a man and a large tiger.

Letting out a powerful roar before pitting the two with his yellowed eyes, Mizuki growled, "Now I will kill the both of you, take the scroll, and escape without a single worry!"

Grabbing Iruka by the shoulder before using Shunpo to dodge as Mizuki came barreling towards them Naruto landed in the branches of a tree a few yards away. Moving to stare out as Mizuki began to turn towards where he was now sitting the young Shugorei felt a hand grab his wrist.

"Get out of here Naruto," wheezed Iruka as he tried to straighten himself out as he sat in the yoke of the branch and the tree's trunk. "There's no sense in the both of us getting killed. Find the Scroll of Forbidden Seals and then run back to Hokage-sama."

Batting the hand away as he saw Mizuki was now staring directly at where the two were hiding Naruto replied with finality, "I'm not leaving you behind sensei and I'm not letting that bastard down there win."

Watching as the whiskered blond dropped down from the branches Iruka tried to yell a warning only to feel his body racked once again by a fit of bloody coughs.

Unsheathing his Zanpakuto and holding it in his right hand as he made a single seal with his left Naruto glared at the now transformed Mizuki before opening his palm and yelling, "Shakkahou!"

Three balls of red fire shot out from the left palm of the Shugorei heir before impacting on the tiger like traitor. Giving a small smirk as he saw the large cloud of grey smoke form from the hits Naruto was taken by surprise as Mizuki came charging out to deliver a devastating shoulder tackle.

"Oof!" gasped the whiskered boy as the breath was driven from him as he slammed backwards into a tree only a few feet away from where Iruka was stashed.

"Do you really think those little fire crackers of yours can harm me?!" roared Mizuki as he began to stalk over to where the blond was rising to his feet. "My skin is like iron now; it'll take far more than that to hurt me!"

Catching the sneer on the catman's face Naruto let a smirk form on his own as he brought his first two fingers of his left hand up as bluish light burst forward from them as he cried out, "Byakurai!"

The lance of light and electricity struck the tiger man in the right side of his chest before bursting forth from his back.

As he Mizuki let out a yowl of pain the Shugorei heir gave a dark chuckle as he said, "It seems you aren't as impervious as you think."

Before he could capitalize on the damage he had inflicted Naruto felt his head twist hard to the side as a clawed hand raked its way across his face before sending him flying.

Seeing that he had just knocked the boy back into the small clearing Mizuki rushed forward to deliver another heavy swipe, this time catching the boy in the chest and ripping open four bloody furrows despite the steel mesh that was in the Naruto's blue vest.

Coming to land next to the fiery remains of the shack the whiskered blond noted an emptiness in his hand as blood fell into his eyes. Swiping away the thick, crimson liquid Naruto saw his blade laying several yards away on the ground behind Mizuki, who was now moving forward slowly with the intent of toying with is prey.

"_He's not concerned at all that he is wasting time to escape and that all of this commotion will be attracting the ANBU,"_ the Shugorei heir silently noted as he tried to blink away the blood that flowed into his eyes from the large cuts on his face, though said cuts were quickly closing due to a bit of crimson chakra that had entered into his system. _"Mizuki's gone berserk and doesn't seem to care about anything other than killing me at the moment."_

"_**Call me…,"**_ came the whispered voice of the blond boy's Zanpakuto. _**"Call me and I shall come."**_

Reaching out with his senses Naruto raised his right hand towards his fallen blade as if to grasp it while focusing on it as he thought furiously,_"Come on then…come to me!"_

Though Mizuki now stood over him with a clawed hand raised to try and take off his head Naruto continued to focus on his Zanpakuto as he felt something tug at his mind. The sword seemed to twitch for a moment or two before it shot forward to hit Mizuki, blade first in the lower abdomen. Seeing the blade sink in deeply and burst forward just shy of his surprised face since he was kneeling, Naruto rolled to the left before leaping upwards as he used Shunpo to make his way to the opposite side of the field.

"_Well that was interesting?!"_ the cerulean eyed blond thought in both amazement and confusion.

"_**That wasn't exactly what I meant,"**_ the Zanpakuto remarked as it voice took on a hint of bemusement. _**"But whatever works…I guess…."**_

Seeing Mizuki pull the blade free before throwing off to the side Naruto once again focused on his lost weapon, only this time to have it flay pommel first directly to his hand.

"_I'd have thought calling my Zanpakuto back to me would be harder considering what the archives said," _Naruto internally commented as he gave the blade a small flourish before grasping it with both hands and settling into an aggressive stance that turned him slightly sideways as he placed his left foot forward while letting his weight fall onto his right foot, which was towards the back, as he held the word at an angle that had the point of the blade pointing towards the ground only a few feet before his left foot. _"Damn clan is never clear on things that they wrote down."_

"_**He is coming again,"**_ noted the Zanpakuto as Mizuki charged forward in blind rage at having been pierced by the unmatchable sharpness of the soul formed weapon.

Not bothering to give a response as he ducked under slashing claws Naruto pivoted forward on the ball of his left foot while rising upwards with his blade to strike under Mizuki's right armpit. Pushing off from the ground with his right foot the Shugorei heir let a smirk form as he moved backwards away from the yowling tiger creature as it grasped at the stump where its right arm should be.

Rounding with a furious anger blazing in his yellow eyes Mizuki roared before reaching down to pick up the severed limb. Taking the bloody end and holding it against the point where it used to be attached an acrid smoke ringed the wound for a moment as a low growl escaped the transformed chunin.

His eyes going wide in horror as Mizuki suddenly flexed the fingers on his now reattached limb Naruto had only one thought in his mind, _"OH DAMN!"_

"_**Yeah that's bad,"**_ commented voice of the Zanpakuto before Mizuki seemed to go through a few handseals.

Dodging into the forest nearby to avoid a large Goukakyuu no Jutsu as the large fireball exploded a tree that had been behind the young blond, Naruto could only start to worry about how survival.

Glancing around the tree before using Shunpo to move to the other side of the clearing as Mizuki crashed through the heavy wood, reducing it to kindling, Naruto mentally fumed, _"Fuck! He seems to be getting faster and stronger as the battle goes on, not to mention that he seems to be able to heal whatever wounds I inflict upon him."_

Looking to see that Mizuki had settled down into a four point stance that was more bestial than man a dark blur seemed to bounce off the monster-man. Off to the side Iruka stood leaning against a tree with his arm extended, apparently he had found one of the large shuriken that Mizuki had been tossing about earlier, not to mention the strength to move, and had tried to use the weapon against its owner. Unfortunately all it seemed to do was make the tiger man angrier.

Utilizing Shunpo again Naruto raced over to grab Iruka and flee to a safe spot just inside the wood-line before Mizuki could claw through the heavily wounded chunin.

"While I'm glad for the support sensei I think you just pissed him off more," commented Naruto as he saw Mizuki tear through another tree rather than follow closely behind the two as the quick movement seemed to have confused the crazed traitor.

"You…you can't win against him…we need to…need to retreat," coughed out Iruka before he took another blood pill to replenish the life giving liquid that was still leaking from his wounds.

"Unfortunately that isn't a viable option," noted the whiskered blond as he used Shunpo once again as Mizuki crashed into the bush the pair had been using as cover. "He's so berserk that he doesn't seem interested about that scroll you mentioned or even trying to escape."

Giving a small laugh as he spat some blood out, Iruka commented, "Yeah he always seemed to possess a one track mind."

Setting the wounded chunin down to free up both hands Naruto began to make the same one handed seals with each hand before gathering a tremendous amount of charka to each hand and then pointing them at the tiger like shinobi, who had leapt in the air in the chance to come down on top of the pair sitting on the edge of the clearing.

"Soukatsui!" shouted Naruto as he let two large pulses of bluish flame leap from his hands to strike the descending Mizuki in a large explosive burst.

Dropping to a knee as he panted slightly due to the exertion the technique had required Naruto gave a silent word of thanks to all the time he had spent training over the past few months. Back when he had just come to Konoha he couldn't use the technique well with one hand, but now due to extensive practice he could use it well enough to fire it from both hands at the same time. Despite such improvement the jutsu still took a lot of control and put a bit of a strain when used so quickly.

Glancing about the wooded clearing and not seeing any sign of Mizuki, Iruka commented slowly in awe, "I think you got him."

"Yeah," Naruto replied as he caught his breath and stood up to turn to the man. "If that didn't kill him it at least will have injured him enough to make him less of a threat, not to mention signal to everyone where the hell we are."

Hearing a small laugh come from the Academy instructor the Shugorei heir almost missed the sight of the color draining from the man's face as he began to open his mouth to shout a warning. Ducking on instinct alone probably saved the boy's life as a giant, clawed hand suddenly passed where his head would have been.

Rolling to the side and drawing his blade once again Naruto let out a gasp as he saw the figure of Mizuki now standing only a few feet from Iruka.

The former Konoha chunin looked like a pig that had been roasted on a spit. Pieces of skin, charred beyond recovery, fell off in small sheets as the tiger man's body seemed to be a mixture of red blood and burned flesh. The ears on the side of the man's head were just gone and his face looked like one of the large roasts that Chouji had showed the group in a cook book a month ago during their group training day. With one eye missing the other seemed to blaze in a mixture of fury and madness.

Hearing a low growl instead of actual words from the man caused Naruto to start thinking that Mizuki had finally lost himself fully to the power that had transformed him into an anamorphic tiger.

Seeing Mizuki stalking forward and ignoring Iruka, who was yelling fro Naruto to run as he threw a few kunai and shuriken haphazardly in the hopes of providing a distraction, the whiskered Shugorei could only think in dumbfounded silence, _"He took my strongest offensive jutsu and just keeps on coming."_

Tugging at the mind of his maker the Zanpakuto suddenly broke through the slight panic that had taken hold.

"_**It is time,"**_ intoned the weapon solemnly.

"_Time for what?!"_ questioned the blond frantically as he began to back pedal to get some distance between himself and the advancing creature, who seemed to be slowly growing new skin to replace that which had been burned off. _"If you haven't noticed I need to do something fast or he's going to kill not only me but Iruka-sensei and anyone else he encounters!"_

Trying to focus for another jutsu to try and slow down the advancing monster that was Mizuki as it healed, Naruto couldn't help but think about how ironic it was to see a healing ability that almost seemed to match his own.

Throwing out some Kage Bunshin to try and distract the creature the whiskered blond thought ruefully, _"Now I know why Jiisan and Kakashi seem to cringe when the healing property of the Kyuubi is mentioned."_

"_**He may be a monster but underneath he is still a man,"**_ commented the Zanpakuto as its voice took on a knowing quality.

"_Well I severed his arm, pierced both his belly and his chest, and then hit him with two giant balls of fire and he is still coming strong!"_Naruto worriedly fired back as he found himself standing with his back to a large tree.

"_**His power is indeed great, but yours is far greater,"**_ supplied the weapon as it seemed to pulse lightly in the boy's grip. _**"Pick me up and truly use me!"**_

Pulling the blade up to be held directly in front of his face Naruto felt as if time seemed to stop for an instant and in that instant the demonic looking samurai that was his Zanpakuto had taken the place of the large hardwood tree that was standing directly behind him.

"_**Yes!"**_ noted the weapon as its voice took on a tone of determination and happiness while Naruto settled into a stance that he had never practiced before but seemed to know intuitively. _**"Show him your resolve…Strike him! Break him! Let him know he faces a true Shugorei in battle!"**_

Holding the sword in a reversed grip so its dull edge ran parallel to the length of his right arm and behind his shoulder to cross behind his head as he brought his left forward into a closed fist that was directly in front of his face Naruto could feel something welling up within him. This power was far different from the chaotic and dark chakra of the Kyuubi; this was a power that seemed pure and natural instead of demonic and twisted.

"_**Grasp hold of me! Let go of your fear!"**_ yelled the demonic looking samurai as it stood behind the whiskered blond to let a hand fall onto the boy's left shoulder. _**"Push ever forward…and finally…Let Loose My Name!"**_

Feeling time coming back into play the whiskered blond looked across to where Iruka was propped up trying to scream to him to run. Shifting his gaze ever so much to see the monster that now was Mizuki, all that the young demon vessel could feel was a subtle strength pouring through him, part of him, waiting to be directed by him.

"Buchikowasu…Konoe!" commanded Shugorei Naruto as the release word came to his mind followed closely by the name he had been waiting so long to hear.

As the words left this mouth an explosion of light and power seemed to engulf the heir of Clan Shugorei.

A few yards away both Mizuki and a bit farther back, Iruka, brought a hand up to shield their eyes as the rush of light and chakra was nearly blinding while small stones and debris was dangerously thrown about by the eruption of power. Brining his hand down as the light began to fade to stare at the center of the explosion Iruka let out a small gasp at what he saw while the creature Mizuki had become seemed to gaze with its one eye in confusion.

Standing firm as chakra pulsed and flowed about and through him, Naruto stood with a pair of armored gauntlets that seemed to pulse with energy. The main part of the glove was leather that was midnight black in color and seemed to drink in the light. Connected to the black were dark, armored plates, covering the top of the forearm from the elbow to the wrist as the leather joined it from where it covered the underside of the forearm. Three platinum ridges ran parallel down the length of the armor on the forearm. At the wrist the dark armor met an articulated set of armored plates outlined in with the same silvery-white color of the ridges that had ran its length. Intricately joined together the armored pieces covered the back of the figure's hand and fingers ending in a small set of pointed claws at the tips.

Flexing his hands in the newly formed armor Naruto suddenly had a very pointed, double edged blade shoot forward from seemingly nowhere on both gauntlets to extend from just behind his wrist to about a foot and a half out from both of the new pieces of armored protection. Examining the blades before they suddenly seemed to grow out an extra half a foot to make a full two feet, Naruto seemed to close his eyes for a moment as the blades shot back into wherever they had been concealed.

Opening his eyes while turning to point towards Mizuki, small spikes seemed to suddenly grow from the armor as Naruto beckoned the traitor turned bestial creature forward with a foxy looking grin.

Letting out a roar before charging Mizuki didn't make it more than two steps before his head suddenly turned sharply as a spiked fist slammed into it. A second fist hit the former chunin in the gut and sent him reeling across the clearing as Naruto lightly landed in the spot where his adversary had been standing.

Scratching into the ground with his claws Mizuki came to a stop as he stood up on his legs, tense with power, and looked to where his antagonist should be. Blinking his only eye in confusion at seeing that the blond was no longer there the tiger like man began to quickly move its head about to try and spot its prey before suddenly sensing the young boy standing directly before it.

Reaching out with his right hand Naruto placed his left palm against his foe's belly just before a large spike shot through the tiger man and out his back to drip with blood. Wrenching the spike free and letting it seem to disappear back into the armored gauntlet the blond stood firmly as Mizuki dropped to his knees clutching at the huge hole of missing flesh that had just been torn out of him.

"This is my power," intoned Naruto coldly as the pointed, double edged blade from earlier pushed out from his right gauntlet to lock at a length of two feet. "Now disappear from my sight and into the next world traitor."

With those final words the Shugorei whipped his arm and the blade attached to it past the throat of the kneeling creature that was Mizuki. For a moment nothing seemed to happen until the head of the former chunin rolled backwards, cleanly severed from its body. As the head rolled to a stop on the ground the body suddenly began to wither and shrivel until it looked like that of a skeletal old man.

Leaving the remains where they were as he walked over to where Iruka sat stunned, Naruto's gauntlets seemed to disappear as his sword reformed in his right hand. Quickly placing the weapon back into the long sheath on his back after giving it a small flourish, the boy slumped down next to his teacher, too tired to care about the uncomfortable feeling of the sheathed blade pressing into his lower spine.

"Damn am I tired," commented Naruto with a yawn. "If someone had mentioned that I would feel this way after the first time I released Konoe I wouldn't have stayed up the last two days to work on my sealing."

Hearing the young cerulean eyed boy's complaint and the fact that the two of them had just avoided being ripped apart Iruka let out a long laugh at the absurdity of what had just occurred. It wasn't everyday a man you worked closely with turned traitor and then displayed the ability to become a monster, not to mention the student, who wasn't even a shinobi officially, demonstrated powers that seemed beyond what was possible. Ignoring the many questions that ran through his mind and the pain of his wounds, Iruka continued to let pealing laughter echo across the clearing.

Grumbling slightly as he tried to fight his drowsiness the Shugorei heir muttered, "Oh yeah, laugh at the guy who just saved your ass. See if I risk my life for you next time."

Sorry," groaned the scarred chunin as his chuckles died away. "But what makes you think there will be a next time? If you hadn't noticed while you're now completely exhausted and apparently unable to move, I'm still bleeding to death."

Cracking open an eyelid to give his sensei a sidelong glance Naruto responded sleepily, "Not really a problem since Jiisan and a bunch of shinobi should be arriving here soon (yawn)."

Letting a smile grace his features Iruka stretched out his sense to note that indeed a sizable force of shinobi being led by the Hokage himself were converging on their position and should be arriving any moment.

"_Well if there is one thing Mizuki had right it was I have gotten weaker,"_ thought the Academy instructor as he saw his blond pupil fighting to stay awake. _"I guess I should train myself back up to form again, though I am glad that Naruto proved me correct in the end."_

Sitting quietly Iruka suddenly felt a flash of inspiration hit. Reaching over to the closed eyed blond next to him he pulled the boy's goggles, which other than his sword were the only thing that seemed to still be in perfect condition, off.

"What're you doing," slurred the whiskered boy as he felt the familiar weight of his beloved goggles suddenly get replaced by something soft with a distinct mass directly centered on his forehead.

"Open you eyes and see," Iruka responded softly as he leaned back with a smile as his wounds ached and reminded him that moving around was not such a good idea.

Wrenching his eyes open despite his brain's screams of protest Naruto saw the face of his sensei giving a soft smile while holding his goggles carefully. Noting that something was different, beyond just the dirty face and the specks of drying blood that dotted the man, the Shugorei turned Uzumaki reached a hand up to touch the object that had replaced his goggles.

Feeling the cold, metal plate with the emblem of the Leaf imprinted on it Naruto's eyes suddenly shot open wide in realization.

"Congratulations on graduating Naruto," commented Iruka with a confident smile as he saw the boy fingering his forehead protector, which now rested on the blonde's brow. "It looks good on you."

"Well if the two of you are done having this touching moment I think we should get you both to the hospital before debriefing," a gruff voice commented as the sound of feet began to land around the clearing.

Seeing Bunji standing next to a concerned yet proud looking Hokage, who seemed to have a faint smirk on his face, while a medical team quickly came over to gather the two up both teacher and student began to laugh at the absurd scene given the fact that it seemed that now the battle was over help finally had arrived.

"If you can laugh maybe you aren't as injured as I thought. We can start the debriefing now then," remarked Bunji once again in mock annoyance as he stepped to the side to let a medic past to begin tending the bloody wounds on Iruka.

"Iruka-kun!" came the familiar yell of Mitarashi Anko as she bulled past several ANBU and medics to reach the fallen chunin, though this time she seemed to be completely sober.

"Oh Kami-sama," muttered the wounded man as he was put onto a stretcher by a pair of medics. "Maybe I should have let Mizuki kill me."

Not hearing the object of her affection Anko began to walk quickly by the stretcher as it was taken away, saying, "Don't worry Iruka-kun I'll make sure you are taken well care of. I'll visit everyday and bring you plenty of fruits and vegetables…ooh and Dango and Red Bean soup. That way you'll get healthy sooner."

Her eyes suddenly widening with glee the slightly unhinged, female ANBU Captain suddenly exclaimed loudly, "I can play doctor with you Iruka-kun…won't that be sexy?!"

Hearing a loud groan suddenly come from his instructor as he was being guarded by Anko while being taken away to the hospital, Naruto let out a small chuckle at the older shinobi's plight.

Rubbing his goatee, as ANBU were securing the site the Hokage noted, "Well it seems you became a genin after all Naruto."

Feeling himself being lifted onto a stretcher and too tired to protest that he was okay and just needed to sleep the whiskered blond grumbled out, "Yeah, fuck you too old man."

Chuckling at the fact that the boy still had an obscene sense of humor despite the battle that had taken place the Hokage turned to begin observing the teams of ANBU that were examining the small battlefield as one of the masked ninja presented him with a large scroll.

Taking the large roll in hand the old man held it for a moment before tossing it into the air before incinerating it in a quick burst of flames.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" protested Naruto as he watched the display, his want for sleep forgotten. "We almost got killed over that thing and now you just off and destroy it?!"

Glancing over to the blond with a smirk the Sandaime replied, "Why would I want to keep a useless decoy scroll when I have the real one and plenty of other fakes?"

"What…but that was…I heard them say…? What the hell old man?!" yelled the Shugorei heir as a small wave of energy seemed to perk him up.

Watching the boy's stretcher being carefully picked up by two nervous medics the Hokage answered with a cryptic smile, "You aren't the only person that can make plans in advance Naruto-kun. I guess now you can be properly placed on a team instead of into the training program. You should be glad that I look out for you so much."

Eyes widening further as pieces began to fall into place as he was being hauled off to the hospital Naruto cursed loudly, "Son Of A Fucking Bitch! Damn you, you old monkey! Don't think this is over just yet!"

Turning away and chuckling as the boy's curses faded into the night Sarutobi noted that Bunji had come to stand next to him.

"One day I'm going to figure out why you went through all the trouble of letting a fake Scroll of Forbidden Seals get stolen just to stop that boy from entering into my training program," remarked the one eyed ANBU Captain as he crossed his arms over his large, armored chest.

Chuckling once again the Sandaime commented, "He is very special and soon it will be revealed just how special he truly is. When that happens he will need a strong hand to guide him as he is still very impatient and stubborn, something you have a great amount of experience in dealing with."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with that large burst of energy that we felt as we ran here now would it?" asked the one eyed Captain as he thought the energy familiar but couldn't seem to place it at the moment.

"Perhaps," responded the Hokage.

Quirking the eyebrow over his remaining eye Bunji felt himself grow confused over the cryptic answer he had received. Why the Hokage was so interested in the blond boy was beyond him, sure the kid seemed to ooze power but so did a lot of other people. It wasn't like the kid had some advanced bloodline or something, no that would be impossible since the kid was also the container of the Kyuubi no Youko and no clan would put a member up to suffer the life of a jinchuuriki.

"I'll take your word on that," reluctantly noted the ANBU Captain as he gave a small nod before moving over to speak with Nekoirazu Kenshin, who had appeared on the scene to begin the processing of any evidence.

Watching the man walk away with what seemed to be no idea that he had just been talking about the heir to the clan he had sworn and oath of fealty to, the Hokage just smiled before moving over to examine the corpse that had been left by Naruto and Iruka.

* * *

In a darkened throne room far from Konohagakure and well beyond the hidden village's knowledge, the darkened form of a golden eyed man sat in silence as a candle in front of a small figurine of a tiger suddenly extinguished. 

"It would seem that Touji Mizuki has perished," the shadowed figure hissed out in annoyance. "Failure is intolerable, too bad he has already paid the ultimate price for it."

Moving forward to stand before the throne in the dark shadow cast by the candles that remained before the large altar of numerous figurines a distinctively female shape gave a deep bow to the man on the throne.

"He was unworthy of the gifts you bestow Master," the darkened form of the woman said in a sultry voice.

"A worthless pawn that is easily replaced," loudly noted a brash sounding male as he moved to stand in a flanking position with the woman.

"Hmm," hummed the Master as he sat back into his throne and looked to the assembly of figurines and the candles before them. "His information was not too useful and one of you, my most trusted, is already firmly planted in Konoha anyway to provide me with what information I truly desire."

"Ah so that is where that glasses wearing freak went," interjected the slow drawl of an unknown person echoed forth from deeper in the shadows that lay before the master.

"Don't be so rude!" a high pitched voice suddenly cut in as a smacking sound was heard as the drawling voice muttered an apology. "You should be respectful in front of the master."

"Something seems to be troubling you my Lord," the sultry female spoke as she remained standing just before her master's throne.

Moving his yellowed gaze to land back upon the figurine of the tiger the master spoke in his deceptive voice, "From the way the flame flickered it seemed Mizuki had to use his gift and right before the flame died it changed color for just an instant."

"Could it be that the Shugorei boy was the one to end him?" asked the sultry female as the other voices remained quiet.

"Perhaps," the master replied slowly. "This bears further investigation…if the boy has grown strong enough to handle one of the transformed, even a failure like Mizuki, it could indicate he is growing far quicker than was anticipated."

Rising up from his throne to move towards a door hidden behind it the shadowed man hissed, "Perhaps we should send him a message soon."

"Of course Master," the voice of the sultry female echoed as her form dissolved back into the darkness alongside her fellow servants. "I shall send one of our best."

Hearing the response as the he seemed to disappear farther into the darkness of his private chambers only the shadowed man's low chuckle seemed to echo through the now empty throne room.

* * *

**AN:**_This chapter is done, so onto the next one I guess. Actually I need to say that the next few weeks are going to be hectic for me so the update after this one may take a bit longer to get done, but don't worry I'll post it as soon as I am able. Also, if any of you readers happen to have artistic talents in a visual medium, considering that I have absolutely none outside of music and writing, I would be very grateful if offers were made to provide pictures for some of the scenes and characters. I would really like to see what my imagination holds come to life on in a picture that can be shared with all of you, so if you are open to pursuing such a thing then let me know either in a review or a PM. Finally, I would once again like to thank everyone who has taken the time to review. Many of you, an you know who you are as I have noted it in my replies to you, have provided me with some great ideas to further enhance the story later on as well as pointing out areas that I need to make clearer. I hope you are all still enjoying my work. Once gain thanks for all you help and support._

_**Tyrchon**_  
_**-,-**_

Shugorei Archives

**Karyudo no Mokushi** – The 'Sight of the Hunter' is a mid level utility Ninjutsu. Used to enhance the sight of many a Hunter-nin the jutsu focuses the chakra to the eye and allows for the sensitive organ to take on the sight qualities of many nocturnal predators, usually marked by the reflective quality taken on by the affected eyes of the user. The vision of the user is often described as brightening so long as there exists in the smallest source of light and users report the ability to see thermal images. Originally credited with its development Clan Hyuuga passed the jutsu into the arsenal of Konohagakure shortly after the village's creation. It is unknown if this was done out of good will like many other clans did or if the normally proud clan saw the jutsu as being inferior to their own Byakugan. Regardless of the circumstances the jutsu requires incredible chakra control as well as quite the bit of power to be used effectively. Some old Hunter-nin cite the jutsu as being the reason for their terrible vision as improper use over time can damage the nerves within the eye.

**Konoe** – The name of the Zanpakuto belonging to Shugorei Naruto this blade has finally begun to reveal its self fully. Meaning 'Imperial Guard', Konoe takes on the appearance of a demonic looking samurai warrior dressed in armored gauntlets and helm of matching inky blackness and silvery platinum highlights. Konoe's Shikai form is released by the single word, 'Buchikowasu'. Meaning 'to break by striking', this command seems appropriate due to Konoe transforming into a pair of armored gauntlets similar to the ones he himself wears for Naruto to utilize. So far it seems that Konoe's main power is the creation of a variety of blades and weapons from the form of each gauntlet. However, Zanpakuto are known to keep more dangerous attributes hidden until it is felt that their creator can adequately handle the extra ability and power. No information yet exists on what form Konoe may take on in Bankai or what his full name is given such a state. More information must be compiled as this particular Zanpakuto is wielded further by its creator.


	13. Chapter 12: One Step, Two Step

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

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_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 12 – One Step, Two Step**_

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Nearly a week had passed since the genin graduation exam at the Konoha Ninja Academy. The influx of new genin had caused a vast amount of paperwork to flow over the desk of the Sandaime Hokage on top of what was his normal daily amount. The first group of forms detailed which jounin and special jounin were available to take on a team of genin. While this pile wasn't too large, mainly because it consisted of the people who had volunteered to teach or in many cases 'volunteered' by the Hokage to teach, the list was long enough to deserve careful examination. The process of examination was necessary for the second group of forms that littered the old Hokage's desk, the assignment of genin to a jounin or special jounin that would possibly provide the best chance of creating not only an effective team but also increase the likelihood of the assigned genin advancing in their own, personal, growth. Normally this task was much simpler as it was simply the job of the Hokage to verify the jounin and special jounin who were selected as well as the teams assigned to each, however considering that Umino Iruka, who normally oversaw and did the work for the team creations and assignments, had just gotten out of the hospital the majority of the task had fallen on the shoulders of the Sandaime.

"_Damn, I forgot how strenuous this whole process is and why it actually takes a whole week!" _bemoaned the old Hokage quietly as he reread several team assignment forms, having discovered that he had made a mistake and listed a few of the new genin on more than one team. _"I could have gotten one of the other Academy instructors to do all of this, but no I just had to go and say that I could handle the entire thing myself!"_

Writing down several notations on which genin had already been assigned and which were now back on the list of those who still needed to be assigned, Sarutobi chewed his lower lip slightly to stop himself from screaming out in frustration as he noted another mistake that he had made.

"_I don't see why I can't just take the best, and most likely to pass the secondary tests, and just assign them while listing the others for possible recruitment into Bunji's training division,"_ internally remarked the old man as he let out a small sigh before collecting his thoughts and reaffirming, for the seventh time today, just why that couldn't be done. _"We may only average three to five teams getting past the secondary tests, but not allowing all the graduates a fair chance to take those tests would be irresponsible of me. While some of them look to have little to no chance of making it as genin they all graduated and all deserve an equal opportunity to retain that status."_

Leaning back into his chair to try and calm down further so that he could avoid any further mistakes and complications the Hokage pulled his pipe out from his robes while opening one of the side drawers of his desk. Reaching into the drawer to remove a small lockbox, Sarutobi channeled a small bit of chakra into the seal on the box causing it to open. Pulling out a fair pinch of the high quality and expensive tobacco that came from the area of the Fire Country that bordered Tea Country, the old man packed it into his pipe before setting it to smolder via a tiny bit of chakra based fire. Taking several long draws on his pipe to make sure the fine leaves properly began to burn Sarutobi had just begun to relax when a resounding knock was heard on his office door.

"Enter," commanded the old Hokage in a crisp tone as he began to rub at his temples in an attempt to ward of the headache that was beginning to form.

Walking into the room while the chunin secretary that worked outside the office closed the door Nekoirazu Kenshin had a small folder underneath his left arm. Settling into the chair that was set before the desk of the Hokage, the Captain of the Internal Affairs Division of the ANBU was quite the sight to behold.

Nekoirazu Kenshin was something of an odd man…well considering some of the personalities and habits that certain shinobi of Konoha had it really wasn't that strange, but the man could definitely be considered one of the more 'unique' individuals that Konoha counted amongst its forces. Wearing his hair cut short and dyed a fiery orange color with blue tips to clash against his green goatee, a set of colored contacts that turned one eye a pale pink and the other multifaceted like that of a bug, and a suit that consisted of a salmon colored silk shirt matched to a blazer and pair of pants that were a light purple the ANBU Captain could be considered to be a walking piece of modern art, someone lacking any sense of proper shinobi etiquette, or simply a blind man. However, the truth of the matter was that Kenshin was almost always like this, constantly changing his appearance and clothing style every so often to fit a new civilian fashion trend that had debuted somewhere. Last month he had taken on a morbid gothic appearance by wearing nothing but a finely pressed suit of black silk matched to the pale white makeup, black eyeliner, and bright crimson lipstick that had adorned his face.

In many ways the man seemed as if he should be an eccentric socialite with far too much time and money while possessing little in the way of intelligence. However, to those who worked with him or new him by reputation such an assumption was most assuredly false…well at least the part about him not being intelligent considering the man was in fact independently wealthy and quite fond of the party and clubbing circuit that existed in Konoha and the Country of Fire. Kenshin was a man that while seemingly harmless was in fact like a spider in the center of its web, calmly observing and patiently waiting for just the right signs before striking. Having been the former Fukutaicho and apprentice of Usohakkenki Takara, he had an affinity for poisons, toxins, and venoms of all sorts as well as the know how of finding information that others wanted to keep hidden. Such skills had allowed Kenshin to quickly climb the ranks as well as hunt down many a traitor and criminal that threatened the security of Konoha.

"I have information that needs to be presented to you Hokage-sama," stated Kenshin coolly as he pulled out two separate, bound reports from his folder before setting them lightly on the old man's desk. "The first is in regards to the Tsubasa incident and the follow up investigation surrounding the man's activities and accomplices. The second deals with what information I have been able to verify about that night several days ago."

Drawing long on his pipe and holding it for a moment to try and calm his nerves the Hokage exhaled the smoke through his nose before ordering, "Proceed."

Giving a small nod of his head, Kenshin began to explain, "As far as the Tsubasa incident is concerned you were correct in the fact that it appears we may never identify the culprit behind the killing. The evidence left at the scene was far too tainted to be of any use. All that we have to go on is the brutal methods, the toxin in his blood, the cut that severed Tsubasa's head, the silver coin, and the dossier of information that was anonymously delivered to you."

"When you list it all out it almost appears to be quite the large amount of evidence," stated the Hokage softly as he folded his hands as he placed them on the desk. "Some would argue that given the investigatory excellence of your division and of the ANBU as a whole you should have at least provided us with a list of suspects."

"While that normally would be the case certain complications have arisen that have made it nearly impossible to narrow the general list down to one of possible suspects," the ANBU Captain replied firmly. "I could write up a list of the usual suspects for us to target, but any evidence pointing to them could be argued as circumstantial."

Accepting the answer but still curious the old man asked, "You mentioned complications of the evidence, what exactly do you mean?"

"Well first there are the methods used," the flamboyant looking man began to explain. "While they are malevolently brutal they aren't unique enough. Quite a few of people are known to use incredibly brutal methods in torturing and killing their victims, but not all of them would use a stimulant to make the pain intensify and last longer. At first I thought that the identification of the poison in Tsubasa's blood would turnout to be something that is uncommon, however from our database and Usohakkenki-shishou's own knowledge I have found that nearly twenty different assassins and shinobi favor the neurotoxin of the Blue Dart Conch and at least seventy more that are skillful enough to be able to procure and use it effectively."

"That's quite the large field," remarked the Hokage.

"Yes it is and the people in that field are only the ones we have actual ID's of," responded Kenshin. "If this is a new person than he or she wouldn't show up from such a basic search, so at best the poisoning is a supplementary detail that may or may not narrow the list down."

Letting out a small breath before flipping a page of his notes to get back on track the ANBU Captain began again saying, "The cut is definitely unique, but considering we have no weapon to compare it to I am afraid we have hit a dead end there as well. Once again there are far too many possibilities, from jutsu to bladed weapons to even the chakra sword that the Nidaime Hokage favored."

"What about the coin in his mouth and the symbols carved into his head?" inquire the Sandaime as he leaned forward to leaf through the report he had been presented with.

"Well following Anko-san's idea that it is a calling-card for an assassin didn't yield any results. There is no one from the Elemental Countries and its shinobi villages and clans that are known to leave a silver coin," supplied Kenshin as he pulled at one of the creases on his unusual suit jacket. "With that in mind I tried following up Bunji-san's idea, but our knowledge on the assassins and covert powers of the Western Lands is limited. I still have feelers out trying to gain more information, as does Usohakkenki-shishou. However, the marks for designating Tsubasa a traitor do seem to be collaborated by the coin as I have found several references to the stories and cultural aspects that Bunji-san mentioned."

"Then I guess that is another dead end," said the old man as he let out a sigh of frustration. "We can keep looking, but unless another event occurs it seems this case will remain unsolved for quite some…."

"Pardon me Hokage-sama, but there was one reference that I discovered that was far more interesting than the others, one that even Bunji-san failed to mention…or perhaps chose not to," interrupted the odd looking ANBU Captain as his eyes narrowed.

"_Bunji may have left out information?"_ thought the Hokage in a slight shock that he hid from his face. _"The man is brutally honest at times and nearly loyal to a fault. What could possibly cause him to lie…no, leaving out information is not necessarily a lie and Bunji has made similar distinctions in the past. I might need to question him a bit on this if Kenshin has found something substantial."_

Catching the Hokage's small nod to proceed, Kenshin continued explaining, "While researching some of the cultural stories regarding silver coins and coins in general I found a scrap of an old manuscript that spoke of their usage outside some of the traditions of the Western Lands. It was purely luck that I found it as the thing seemed to have been misfiled in the archives. The scrap of a page spoke of the silver coins being used by the _'Enforcers of the Throne'_ as a symbol identifying the corpses of _'traitors to the realm'_. That was all I could make out as the ink had faded and cracked away with the aging of the paper. A few images were still visible despite almost having faded away as well. One looked like a fancy coin and another looked like a head upon a pike, much like what was found at the scene in Tsubasa's home."

"Do you have this paper with you?" asked the Hokage as he perked up

"Unfortunately no," replied Kenshin as he cringed in response. "While handling the paper I didn't take into account just how old it actually was. When I tried to fortify it with chakra to preserve and make a copy of it the whole thing simply fell to pieces."

Sighing as frustration returned the Sandaime knew that he couldn't fault his subordinate on the loss. The preservation of certain old manuscripts was considered a skill so refined that it bordered on being an art and science unto its self. The delicacy and difficulty was so great that the Konoha-nin that worked exclusively in the Konoha archives were considered to be special jounin upon mastering the complicated skills.

Looking down to the report he had before him the Hokage noted that Kenshin had detailed what he had seen of the paper and tried to recreate the images as best he could from memory. Unfortunately, as the flamboyant looking man had noted the images were barely anything considering he had been trying to recreate something that had already been barely discernable.

"I guess there is little we can do regarding the matter then," Sarutobi surmised before looking back to his waiting subordinate. "However, I am concerned that such a thing occurred within the walls of Konoha and no one noticed it. The chakra residue at the scene was quite potent so it worries me that we didn't pick up on the incident while it was occurring."

"For that I have no answer Hokage-sama," remarked the ANBU Captain somberly. "So far we have not been able to determine how exactly such a disturbance was hidden. I have people trying to theorize on it but they've come up with everything from some type of chakra shielding jutsu to some sort of device that distorts chakra signatures. All in all they are interesting theories, but we have nothing to use to try and prove them."

Taking a moment to leaf through the pages of the report Kenshin added, "I can say that using all of that we do know and cross-referencing it with known shinobi and assassins we have a potential suspect list that can goes from being thirty-five to one hundred in twenty. Honestly we don't have the manpower in the entire ANBU to try and track down all of them and if the culprit is someone new then it would just be a waste of time and resources to try."

"Very well, put that part of the investigation into the cold case files. Perhaps one day we will discover new evidence, but I would rather have you looking into things that are more vital than the murder of a criminal and traitor," stated the old Sandaime Hokage as he tapped his fingers on the armrests of his chair. "Now then, what of the evidence sent to me and those implicated by it?"

"While we still haven't been able to determine who exactly sent it to you, though our primary suspicion is that it was the same person who killed Tsubasa or at the very least the person who ordered the killing," said the ANBU Captain as he regarded a new section of his notes. "However, regarding the investigation into those who were implicated as Tsubasa's accomplices I can proudly report that we have found and arrested nearly ninety-percent of them along with having gathered enough subsequent evidence as to make sure the decision to execute many of them is done swiftly and without hesitation."

What Nekoirazu Kenshin didn't mention, though it was laid out in full detail for the Hokage to read, was what the subsequent evidence had consisted of and how the arresting ANBU had allowed a few small_accidents_ to befall some of the criminals that had been arrested.

Some of the politicians and career criminals, two groups that were starting to become synonymous in the minds of many inside the ANBU, had been caught with evidence that exceeded the implications of drug trafficking, money laundering, abuse of power, bribery, corruption, thievery, and other routine crimes as well as the overwhelming charge of treason. It had almost been horrifying to the ANBU, men and women who routinely saw the worst of humanity, to find that some of those they had been sent to arrest had also been engaged in the criminal acts of slavery, forced prostitution, kidnapping, and torture of not only adults but also quite the number of children. Most of those who had suffered _accidents_ while being transported back for imprisonment and trial had been those caught harming children.

"_Not a single one of those monsters is dead even though they probably begged for it a few times,"_ silently noted Kenshin as he thought of the horrid condition each of the men and women, who could really no longer be considered as human beings when they had been brought in. _"Thankfully their punishment has only just begun."_

Despite having many legalized forms of sexual deviance the Country of Fire still possessed some of the strictest laws regarding sexual crimes, especially if those crimes were against anyone considered to be a minor in the eyes of the legal system. The fate of those convicted of such crimes was ultimately death; however such an end did not come swiftly. For their crimes such criminals were sentenced to mandatory periods where they would be tortured daily and then healed overnight to begin the next day anew before ultimately being executed by being burned alive. Quite often the guards of the prisons would leave these criminals in their weakened, healing states completely vulnerable to be taken advantage of by their fellow inmates. While not officially sanctioned many officials simply turned a blind eye to it, regarding the matter as merely one more type of torture to subject the condemned to before being executed. Considering that in order to receive such a sentence the evidence had to be not only overwhelming but also considerably damning, not a single appeal had ever been filed on the basis of lack of evidence or inhumane treatment.

"_It may not be a perfect system in the eyes of some people,_" thought Kenshin as he saw the eyes of his Hokage harden at having reached the details regarding those who had suffered _accidents_._"However, it does seem to have a certain sense of justice to it."_

"You said that you have only been able to find and arrest ninety-percent of them," growled out Sarutobi as his anger at the acts listed in the report, not to mention the fact that such acts had been allowed to continue unnoticed for so long, had manifested. "You've had almost six months regarding this matter. Why is it that you aren't reporting one hundred percent completion?"

Gulping nervously as the small yet potent amount of killing intent the old Hokage flooded the room with, Kenshin replied quickly, "Several of those who have been implicated reside outside of Fire Country in areas that we are either currently hostile with or have an uneasy peace with. In addition a handful of those who have been implicated and did reside here were out of the country at the time that many of the arrests took place. These individuals have since gone underground. We are trying to find them, but any allocation of extra manpower to the task would pull resources away from other investigations and operations as well as hurt the reserve we keep for when further investigations and operations are required. I do have members of my division and Usohakkenki-shishou's division conducting the searches while some of the members of Ibiki's division are working on trying to get any leads out of those whom we have already captured. A few teams of Anko's division are on standby alert to carryout any orders of assassination that you may authorize if we find that it would be impossible to try and arrest them, something which Tenzo's division has been assisting my own operatives with."

Giving his pipe a few furious puffs as his mind worked the possibilities over, the Hokage weighed the pros and cons of altering the plan that had been laid out by his Captain of Internal Affairs.

"You may proceed as is necessary," stated Sarutobi firmly as he looked into the contact laced eyes of his subordinate. "If you feel things need to be changed around then do so as long as it doesn't threaten other investigations and operations. Should you decide that such a disruption is indeed necessary bring the issue to me before proceeding."

"Of course Hokage-sama," answered Kenshin while giving a strong yet subtle nod.

"What about those whom we rescued?" asked the old village leader as he leaned heavily into his chair, so very tired of and disappointed in the inhumanity men often showed to their fellow man.

"We have been assisted by medical teams and facilities all around Fire Country," Kenshin noted quickly. "Many of those whom were rescued are being helped to deal with the trauma. Some are looking to be returned to their friends and families while others are now seeking a new life since their old one was how they came to be in such dire circumstances."

What Kenshin didn't need to say and what the Hokage understood was that a good number of those who were seeking a new life had been forced into the life of slavery and abuse by their own families and friends. It was a sad thing, but in many of the poorer parts of the Elemental Countries some parents would sell off their own children, an act of survival at times and at others merely one of apathy towards the innocent.

"Konoha will be able to find places for them here if they so desire," the Hokage said firmly as he resolved to make sure that the council would not be able to try and block such an outreach of kindness and humanity. "There are many jobs and opportunities here."

"I will convey those sentiments to the teams in the field who are monitoring the situation," the ANBU Captain noted. "We've been working with the local police forces and lords where possible, but I'm sure the Daimyo will be sending a formal message regarding the matter sooner or later."

"Hmm, it is odd that we haven't heard from him at all considering we did send him a report on the initial incident," the Sandaime acknowledged as he rubbed his bearded chin in thought. "I will take the matter up with his representatives tomorrow."

Nodding in acceptance Kenshin moved onto the next thing he needed to report saying, "I still have the issue of the incident that occurred a few nights ago to report upon."

Feeling his headache returning the Hokage gave a simple wave as an indication to proceed.

"First I have the reports on the corpse found at the site," noted the flamboyant looking Captain. "We have confirmed through fingerprints, dental records, and DNA that the body does indeed belong to Touji Mizuki as was reported by Umino Iruka and Uzumaki Naruto from the fight that the two had with the deceased. This finding has also been confirmed by the chakra signature that the archive sensors picked up when Mizuki infiltrated the archives in the guise of Uzumaki Naruto."

Shuffling a paper around and examining it closely Kenshin then proceeded to add, "What remained of the body is being closely analyzed still, but I do have some preliminary results. It seems that it aged rapidly upon death, something that was noted by both Umino and Uzumaki. From what has been found so far it would appear that this may in fact be a result of the skull seal that is burned into the arm of the body."

"And what of the seal itself?" asked the Hokage, somewhat worried about the answer he would receive.

"While we can't boast the expertise on sealing possessed by Jiraiya-sama or Yondaime-sama, our seal specialists have found that it shares remarkable similarities to the Cursed Seal that Orochimaru experimented with before fleeing the village," answered Kenshin.

Puffing on his pipe for a few moments as he mulled over the crimes of his former student, the Sandaime remarked, "So it seems that Orochimaru is behind Mizuki's traitorous…."

"Begging your pardon Hokage-sama, but I said the seal bears similarities to the Cursed Seal," interrupted the ANBU Captain quickly. "Also, the presence of the seal does not necessarily mean it is responsible for Mizuki's actions. We already suspected him of killing a teammate on a mission and given the fact that we can't determine when the seal was placed or by whom, it is an assumption I don't feel comfortable making."

"Have you compared it to the seal that Anko has?" Sarutobi asked.

"We did and that is when we noted the similarities between the two," supplied Kenshin as he pulled out several diagrams of the two seals. "However, the seal that Mizuki possessed has some major fundamental differences, the major one being that it apparently caused a full body transformation rather than just the black curse markings that have been seen before with Anko. The transformation seems to be a key point as noted by both Umino and Uzumaki. While both seals seem to give the user greater attributes the seal that Mizuki possessed appears to be more…_primal_ in nature."

Shifting his papers around once again before finding the one he wanted Kenshin continued saying, "Some of my people have come up with a few different theories to try and explain this. The first is that this is a different version of the Cursed Seal itself, whether it is a prototype or a refinement we can't be sure."

"Hmm, I will see if I can get Jiraiya to look over your findings and the seals. He has far more experience with seals than anyone else in Konoha, including myself," commented the Hokage. "What other theories do you have?"

"Well most of them are variants of the first, but we do have one that is radically different. I'm not comfortable with this one, but it could be a possibility," said the ANBU Captain solemnly. "One of the examiners remembered that Orochimaru liked to steal jutsu and other things he found of interest. It could be that Mizuki's seal doesn't belong to Orochimaru at all, but instead to whomever he stole the technique from."

Silence permeated the office as the implications of what Kenshin had proposed began to play in the old Hokage's mind. The possibility that there was someone or something out there that had inspired the Cursed Seals used by Orochimaru was not a comforting thought.

"_And if Mizuki's actions and abilities are any type of indication it could be that this 'original' source has a better grasp of the technique,"_ thought the Hokage with a shudder.

The fact that Mizuki's seal had gone undetected for so long and then displayed such a large increase in the poor, chunin's skills was disturbing. The seal on Anko, even though it was inactive, was still noticeable in her chakra signature and when she had used it one time it had caused her tremendous amounts of pain and fatigue both during the time it was used and afterwards.

"_Mizuki seemed to not suffer any such problems,"_ mulled the Hokage as he recalled what both Naruto and Iruka had mentioned of the fight. _"Other than seeming to lose his mind to become more bestial, something than may or may not actually be a result of the seal, Mizuki didn't seem to be pained at all in his transformed state."_

"If that is all then I will let you get back to your work," commented Sarutobi in a way the indicated that the meeting was over.

"I have nothing else to officially report on either case," remarked Kenshin as he stood up from where he had been seated. "However, I am uncomfortable with the story of the battle that both Umino and Uzumaki reported in their debriefing. I find it hard to believe that Umino in the condition he was in and Uzumaki being fresh from the Academy were able to handle the situation so well. Something seems to be missing."

Narrowing his eyes at the back of his inquisitive subordinate as he left the office, Sarutobi knew that the man was fishing for information, it was one of the reasons why Kenshin had been not only at the top of the list for the position he now occupied but the entire list itself. His inquisitive nature and guile in attaining information on anything that caught his interest was a major asset to Konohagakure. However, it also led him to being disliked by many, both within the shinobi community and outside of it, as he would seek to unravel every possible mystery he could find just to satisfy his own curiosity, even if that meant learning the dirty little secrets and discovering the skeletons that most people kept hidden away.

While the man had just shown he knew that the cover story being given was undoubtedly false it was assured that he wasn't going to start advertising that fact. In many ways his loyalty was without question, whether it was part of what had been ingrained into him during his training or rather a natural survival instinct considering that if Konoha ever fell, either from attack from outside or inside, he would undoubtedly be hunted down and tortured for every last shred of information that his mind possessed before ultimately being executed.

"_It may take him a while to do it but sooner or later he will discover the truth about that night…about Naruto,"_ the Hokage silently noted._ "While Kenshin will keep it to himself that doesn't mean others won't take notice of his inquiries." _

When the debriefing of Iruka and Naruto had occurred the two had repeated a story that had been supplied to them by the old Hokage. Considering that information on Naruto's heritage needed to remain secret it had been determined that the most believable explanation, other than the truth, was that the two had worked in tandem to maneuver the transformed Mizuki around to be beheaded by Iruka, who had been wounded so severely after Mizuki transformed rather than before, using a chakra infused strike from one of the large shuriken that the traitor had favored. It wasn't that great of an explanation and as evidenced by Kenshin's skepticism, was already being questioned by many of the stronger shinobi in Konoha. Luckily Kakashi had returned the day after the incident and after having been told the truth had backed up the cover story with a few tales of Iruka's prowess back during the man's days in the ANBU. It had been uncomfortable for the Academy instructor to be reminded of his days in the black ops divisions, but he had born with it knowing that it was necessary to protect the boy he had come to see as his younger brother. However, from what Kenshin had just indicated the matter was far from finished.

Despite the damage control that had been implemented many of Naruto's detractors had called for the boy's head within the Village Council. The varied group of civilian and shinobi alike hadn't had much more than speculation to go on, but to them it was enough that Naruto was linked in some way to such a major incident as the perceived theft of the Scroll of Forbidden Seals. To those men and women who knew only to hate and fear the whiskered blond it didn't matter that the boy had been instrumental in helping to stop the thief.

"_I may have to reveal the truth about him sooner than I would like, despite Naruto having supporters on the council,"_ silently remarked the Sandaime as he recalled the support the boy had received. _"I can understand some of the support, but the fact that Danzou stood up for him once again is worrying. I know that Jinjiro had connections with Danzou and that it could be possible that Naruto is still receiving information meant for Jinjiro, but that doesn't explain Danzou's actions in the council since Naruto returned to Konoha."_

A subtle inquiry into Danzou and the man's powerbase had been launched after Naruto had indicated that the man still had a version of 'Ne' running. That investigation hadn't revealed much, well at least anything that could be directly tied to the man and used for his arrest. However, inroads were being made that would hopefully produce some information on whether or not any activity by the scarred Elder was of major concern.

"_I'll have to ask Naruto about it further," _the Sandaime reasoned as he tapped his finger on the wood of his desk._"Perhaps Jinjiro sent information to Danzou about supporting Naruto…, but does that mean Danzou knows the truth and if he does would Naruto necessarily know about it?"_

Before the Hokage could dwell on the idea further a knock resounded on his door.

"Enter," commanded the old man as he moved the classified reports that Kenshin had left into a drawer.

Walking into the room even before the word had been given, despite the protests that were coming from the chunin secretary, was an annoyed looking Naruto. Flopping down into the chair that had just been vacated Naruto tossed a small envelope onto the desk.

Opening the envelope the old Hokage found a small picture of the boy who was now sitting before him. However, the photo showed the young ninja with a murderous look and flipping off the photographer and viewer.

"Have a new one taken," commented Sarutobi as he crumpled the picture up and tossed it into a full wastepaper basket. "Again…."

"Oh come on!" protested Naruto as that was the fourth picture that he had submitted for his hated genin profile. "That was a good one!"

"I don't think it is a good idea to be telling clients to 'Fuck off' when your profile is presented for mission selections," calmly stated the Sandaime as he took a long draw on his pipe.

"You only said to tone it down," pointed out the blond boy. "I only had one finger up this time."

Letting out a sigh of frustration the old Hokage felt his headache begin to grow exponentially. The first picture that Naruto had provided was simply a blacked out image that revealed nothing about the boy whatsoever. After explaining that such pictures were only allowed for ANBU operatives and ordering the boy to get a real photo taken the Hokage had almost agreed to that photo when the second had been delivered. Painted up like a kabuki actor, with several obscene symbols and kanji on his face, Naruto had both hands showing with the middle finger on both raised. Telling the boy that such a thing wasn't appropriate and that since he wouldn't be wearing face paint all the time he couldn't submit this photo, the Sandaime had sent him back out to get a third taken. Once again something that should have been simple and done easily was confounded by the annoyance the boy was feeling towards having been tricked into becoming a genin, though the third photo had been without the makeup and only had the two obscene gestures.

"Clients will be viewing these photos Naruto," stated Sarutobi firmly despite almost wanting to pull the photo out of the trash and accept it just so he would have one less headache. "You not only represent Konoha in that photo, but also yourself and your family…."

"Jinjiro-hijiji would have found them to be hilarious," interjected the Shugorei heir,

Feeling his headache grow just a bit more the Hokage knew that the boy was right in a way. Jinjiro would have agreed with the tactic just to get the blacked out photo put in considering the man had never liked the idea of providing free photo identification of any of Konoha's regular shinobi. Even Minato would have gotten a good laugh out of his son's antics…that is before Kushina hit him with something hard for encouraging rude behavior, though she would have given a small giggle in private over the matter.

"Perhaps you should just let me into the ANBU training program and just avoid this entire problem," quipped the cerulean eyed boy with a fox like grin.

Catching the boy's eyes with a narrowed glare the old Hokage replied firmly, "Not a chance."

Sitting there in silence the two seemed to be locked in a battle of wills on the issue. Naruto was the first to break the silent struggle…this time.

"I can't believe that you would go to such an elaborate setup simply to get me to become a genin!" yelled the blond as he threw his hands into the air. "What if I hadn't gone out to stop Mizuki or he had actually gotten the real scroll, huh…What then?!"

"You know very well that our secrets are secure enough that a traitor simply utilizing a Henge couldn't just walk in and steal them," commented Sarutobi as he leaned back into his chair. "You must have suspected something was wrong with the situation when you ran off to clear your name. However, it was your love of a challenge that drove you and not your sense of justice. It is something that you inherited from both sides of your family and it is something that I can almost always count on."

Grumbling to himself about crafty old monkey's, Naruto folded his arms across his chest in an empty attempt at displaying a defiant gesture.

"I had a suspicion that you would try something like joining the ANBU training program after we went on that tour with Bunji. It wasn't until you failed to show up for the genin exam that my suspicion was confirmed however," noted the old man with a small grin. "I had originally planned for one of the ANBU to fake a robbery and let you track it down, but when I got the word about Mizuki sneaking in I simply let the information slip loudly enough so you would overhear."

"But what about that group of shinobi that came to your office?" asked Naruto as he took on a look of confusion. "Why did they think I did it when you knew it was Mizuki?"

"Ah yes, that. Only Bunji knew that I was going to test you in such a way, a few others were informed that I wanted to do a security test of the archives," the old Hokage stated with a small chuckle as his headache faded slightly. "Originally Gekkou Hayate, the sickly looking one with the katana, came and informed me of the theft. He thought it was part of my plan to test security, but I told him to let keep the information about Mizuki secret since the chakra sensors around the archive saw through the Henge easily. After that the group showed up since the rumor had already started spreading. Hayate followed my lead and I let enough information slip that you went running off convinced that what you had heard was the entire truth, which was both brave and foolish of you."

Staring at the Hokage with his mouth slightly open in shock that such a trick had been pulled on him with such little planning, Naruto responded quietly, "I hate you sometimes Jiisan."

Letting out a long rolling laugh at the boy's comment the Sandaime could only think, _"It seems this 'old monkey' has still got it after all."_

"Regardless of that I have other matters that I need to address with you at the moment," said the old village leader seriously as his mind went back to wondering about any connection that could exist between Danzou and the young blond that was before him now.

Having not heard what had just been said to him due to his growing annoyance at the whole situation Naruto brought his hands up in a simple, two handed seal before letting a large cloud of white smoke obscure him from view.

Looking over to the dissipating puff of smoke the Hokage's voice suddenly caught in his throat at the image he saw. With her luscious breasts and groin covered with wisps of smoke a gorgeous, teenage girl with sparkling blue eyes, whisker marks, and long blond hair tied into twin pony tails on the top of her head was standing before him.

"You're so mean to me Jiisan," the Oiroke no jutsu transformed Naruto said in the submissive voice of his female form before sticking the tip one of his long fingers in his mouth. "Why can't you just play nice?"

The display was just too much and as he felt a small numbing pain creep up his left arm Sarutobi was sent flying backwards out of his chair by twin jets of blood from his nose.

Giving a loud chuckle as he released the jutsu and returned to normal, Naruto gave a small 'V' for victory sign with his right hand saying, "Always had the suspicion you were a perverted old man."

Clasping at his chest as he lay on the floor, with a small trickle of blood still coming from each nostril, the old Hokage mumbled, "I had heard from Iruka about such a technique, but never did I think it was as dangerous as he thought…."

"Oh come on Hokage-jiisan," joked Naruto from where he standing before the desk, having been too caught up in his own smug, thoughts about catching a powerful ninja like the Hokage unaware with such a simple technique to have noted the small mumblings of the old man. "If you lose to me so easily maybe it is time for you to appoint another successor."

"Maybe it should be you since you defeated me, I can see you now, wearing my hat as your face is carved into the mountain," fired back the Hokage in annoyance, though he was somewhat glad he had only suffered a severe nosebleed instead of a mild heart attack and no one else had been around to see it or so he thought. "But that is something we will discuss later, right now there are other matters at hand that we need…."

Before the Hokage could finish his sentence the door to his office burst open, slamming hard against the wall as a several shouts were heard.

Charging into the room holding a small shuriken came a young kid with brown hair and wearing an odd helmet as he furiously yelled, "I've got you now Jiji. I'll defeat you and become…!"

Whatever the boy had been going to continue saying was suddenly interrupted as his foot caught on the tail of the long, blue scarf he wore around his neck causing him to trip and smack face first into the hardwood floor of the office right next to where Naruto now stood, wearing a dumbfounded expression on his whiskered face.

Pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration the Hokage let out a barely audible sigh saying, "Konohamaru…."

Running into the room after the boy came a sunglasses wearing shinobi wearing the standard issue, blue set of shirt and pants as well as a navy blue bandana that had his Konoha forehead protector sown onto it.

"Oh not again young master," remarked the new man. "This is the third time this week that you've tried to attack Hokage-sama."

"_If the other two times ended in similar ways I can see why he wears the helmet,"_ silently noted Naruto as he watched the young boy push himself back up onto his feet after having giving a few cries of pain since his face had just impacted the floor.

"It was a trap," stated the boy as he rubbed his face and ignored the attempts of his minder to help him.

Spying Naruto, who was standing only a foot or so away and still wondering as to what was going on, the young boy shouted as he pointed at the blond, "It was you! You messed me up and made me fail!"

Naruto watched as the boy walked over to poke him in the chest, a feat in and of itself considering the boy barely made it up to Naruto's shoulder in height, while still accusing him of foiling the attempted attack and giving him a few childish insults. Growing annoyed at the finger that was lightly jabbing him, well the kid probably thought he was poking him hard, Naruto suddenly grabbed the scarf wrapped around the boy's neck and lifted him up off his feet slightly.

"Don't go blaming others for your own mistakes, Dumb-ass!" yelled the whiskered blond as he shook the small boy hard a few times. "You tripped over your own damn feet you moron!"

"Put down Hokage-sama's grandson this instant you de…brat!" demanded the sunglasses wearing shinobi as the Hokage hid his face behind his hands in embarrassment at the whole situation.

"Grandson?" remarked Naruto in confusion as he searched for what information he knew about the Sandaime's family. "Oh, that means you're Konohamaru?"

Slightly surprised that his tormentor knew who he was by name, Konohamaru ignored it to yell, "That's right! I'm the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage, so you better be careful!"

Quirking an eyebrow Naruto looked at the boy oddly for a moment as a small smirk crossed his face before hitting the young boy hard in the head and yelling, "What do I care about such things you dumb little shit!"

Landing hard on the floor, thus hurting his face once again, Konohamaru let out a small yelp at the sharp ache that made its way into this head from the blow despite the helmet he had on.

"Ebisu please take Konohamaru home. I'm sure his mother is wondering why you two aren't out in the backyard practicing right now," the Hokage stated calmly as he looked to where his grandson lay rubbing the spot where he had just been hit. "Naruto get that photo retaken and see me with it by the end of the day. Oh, and this time make sure it is proper or else."

"Whatever Hokage-jiisan," remarked Naruto as he walked out of the room and gave a dismissive wave of his hand.

Seeing Konohamaru eyeing the older boy's back, the old Hokage suddenly felt a small chill run up his spine.

* * *

Walking down a street after having gotten a new picture taken, one that had him actually giving a small smile just to make sure the Hokage wouldn't demand a new one, Naruto was on his way back home. Having spent a day and a half in the hospital under the strict eye of Kenji and then the next three and a half days getting debriefed and questioned about the incident, the young Shugorei heir felt he had been sorely inconvenienced by the entire event.

"_Seriously, I could have been training or doing something productive rather than sitting around for all that time,"_ silently remarked the blond as he turned off of the busy street he was on to begin walking down one of the small, deserted side streets._"And now it looks like I have no way of getting out of this whole genin thing. At least Jiisan told me that excuse he gave everyone at the Academy. Now to get home and…wait a minute…someone's following me."_

Halting his thoughts and his steps Naruto noted a small chakra signature suddenly coming around the corner and into the street he was now on. The signature was pretty faint and yet glaringly obvious making it almost impossible that it was a shinobi of any level of competence. Throwing a glance over his shoulder the Shugorei heir caught the sight of Konohamaru trying to hide behind one of the large poles that held up the insulated electrical wire that ran throughout the village.

"_Oh not this kid again,"_ thought the blond internally. _"Shouldn't that Ebisu guy be taking care of him or something? Why can't people do their damn jobs anymore?"_

Taking a few steps and sensing Konohamaru shifting cover to try and get closer Naruto decided to humor the kid a bit. That was until he saw the boy try and hide behind a sheet that would have camouflaged him into the slatted fence that ran down one side of the street, if the sheet hadn't been a dull white and gray in color.

Guessing that gray and white side was probably meant to match with the walls of the surrounding buildings and that the fence markings were on the other side Naruto walked back to stand in front of the poorly concealed boy before remarking, "The whole 'hide behind the camouflaged sheet' works a lot better when the proper camouflaged side is facing the correct way."

Pulling down the sheet Konohamaru replied with a small tinge of awe to his voice, "That's exactly what I would expect from my rival."

"Rival?" wondered Naruto as he quirked an eyebrow and stared at the kid who looked like he was just getting ready to enter into the first of his three years at the Academy. "You can't even hide properly and you think you can rival me?"

"Yeah, you're my rival to become Hokage!" shouted Konohamaru eagerly, ignoring the slight about his skills. "I saw you defeat Jiji easily through the keyhole so that means I've got to beat you also in order to become Hokage!"

"_You have got to be fucking kidding me,"_ thought Naruto silently as his left eye twitched slightly.

"Look Konohamaru," the blond began to say as he turned to walk away. "If you want to be Hokage go right ahead because I ain't interested."

"But, but…you have to be!" protested the helmet wearing boy with a small whine as he ran to get in front of his new rival. "I need to beat you and Jiji to become Hokage and…!"

"I said that I ain't interested!" yelled Naruto as he rounded on the younger boy. "I have to hear about being Hokage all the time and now I have you challenging me for something that I don't want! What the hell is so great about that stupid title anyway?! So what if he was the Yondaime, that doesn't mean I want to follow in his footsteps!"

Staring down angrily at the boy, Naruto seethed for a few moments before he caught the small tremor that had begun on the young boy's lip. From the tremor small tears began to form in the eyes of the scarf wearing boy.

"_Oh shit,"_ mentally noted the whiskered Shugorei as Konohamaru began to cry and let out a few loud wails.

"Hey, hey," the cerulean eyed blond said as he knelt down to try and comfort the boy he had just scared. "I…I didn't mean to yell. I'm sure being Hokage is great and is very important…to you. Don't cry, okay?"

Sniffling a bit before wiping away the snot that had slightly come out of his nose, Konohamaru asked, "Do you…do you mean it?"

"_Aw damn it,"_ silently cursed the blond before saying, "Sure, I mean being Hokage means you get to run the village and um, wear that weird hat…thing."

Seeing Konohamaru stop his crying Naruto let out a small sigh of relief at the fact that no one else had been around to see the entire scene or hear him.

"It's not just the running the village, it's the respect that comes with it," explained Konohamaru as he looked up to a now standing Naruto. "Jiji named me after the village and so everyone always call me young master or honorable grandson. No one ever seems to call me by my name or knows me as anything else, so if I become Hokage that will make everyone take notice and respect me!"

Giving his head a small shake at hearing the words of the boy, Naruto remarked softly, "You want to be respected and seen as you, so that's why you want to become Hokage? Well I guess there are people out there with worse reasons for doing things."

"You called me by my name in Jiji's office, shook me, hit me in the head, and stopped my attack!" exclaimed the brown haired boy as he looked to his rival with pride. "If I can defeat you, someone who isn't afraid of Jiji like Ebisu is, then…then I'll be closer to becoming Hokage!"

"_All of that just because I roughed him up and knew who he was? Does he have brain damage or something?"_ wondered the Shugorei heir silently as he saw Konohamaru raise a fist into the air and strike what the kid must have thought to be a brave and heroic pose. _"It's hard to believe a great ninja like Hokage-jiisan is related to this kid…on second thought considering the number of pranks I successfully pulled on him and the fact he just fell to my Oiroke no Jutsu it actually does almost make sense."_

"So prepare yourself Naruto my rival!" yelled Konohamaru before charging the hidden Shugorei and disrupting the thoughts the blond was having about if the Sandaime had been similar to his grandson in his youth.

(In his office the old Hokage suddenly sneezed as he thought to how he had once gotten tied to a log by his sensei, the Nidaime, during his own genin test.)

"Hey slow down there," Naruto said as he held a hand against the head of the struggling kid to keep him at an arms length. "I got a much better idea on how you can become Hokage."

"Really?" asked Konohamaru as he stopped his attempts at punching and kicking his blond rival. "What is it?"

Getting a wicked look on his face as his mind formed a diabolical plan Naruto responded, "Well you saw that technique I used earlier to beat Hokage-jiisan, right? Well how would you like to learn how to use it to defeat him yourself?"

There are very few times that a person's face has lit up with as much joy as Konohamaru's did at the idea of learning a technique that could defeat a Hokage. One time was when Jiraiya first discovered the wonders of the female form while another was when Kakashi got his first copy of Icha Icha Paradise. Another time was when Namikaze Minato first successfully used Hiraishin without smacking into a tree or rock while a fourth instance was when Naruto first tasted ramen at Ichiraku, though that one was tied with the day that Naruto learned he had a family and wasn't just an unknown orphan.

Watching Konohamaru dance around and laugh with glee at the prospect of learning a 'real ninja jutsu', as the boy called Naruto's pervert pranking technique, Naruto gave a sly grin before calling the boy to attention and marching him off to begin the training.

Going to a few bookstores and magazine stands Naruto attempted to teach his pupil the fine art of impersonating a sexy girl. However, the boy's naiveté did not help things when the ever a proprietor of the stand or store came upon them. Deciding that maybe they should start out with just trying to Henge into a woman Naruto had been utterly disappointed to find that Konohamaru kept making ever single woman he transformed into a hideously, ugly wench. The yells and smacks that he had received from the angered females had put an end to that idea for Naruto, especially when he saw that Konohamaru was lightly scolded about how the women were far too cute and beautiful to be portrayed so crudely. Thinking that maybe he could get the boy to do things correctly by fully immersing him into the world of a naked female, Naruto led his eager pupil to the bathhouse distract of Konoha only to once again be disappointed when the young boy failed miserably.

Lying in an unused training field trying to think of a new way to teach Konohamaru the Oiroke no jutsu, Naruto thought, _"This kid is absolutely hopeless, he'll never make it out of the Academy let alone become Hokage. Did Hijiji ever feel this frustrated with me? No, no I was a wonderful pupil and…well maybe I could have been better in some ways…."_

"Naruto-niisan what do you want me to try next?" asked Konohamaru eagerly as he stood over Naruto, unaware that his rival/teacher was coming awfully close to strangling him out of frustration. "Maybe we could try one of the other onsens?"

"I don't think any amount of naked women is going to help you at this point Konohamaru," remarked Naruto as he sat up and reached down to grab Konoe's sheathed form. "Maybe you're problem is you lack the motivation to succeed? Don't you want to become Hokage?"

Before he could respond Konohamaru and Naruto saw the form of Ebisu drop down into the training field from a nearby tree.

"There you are young master," the special jounin noted as he adjusted his sunglasses by pushing the bridge of them up with his middle finger. "I've been looking everywhere for you and here you are with this, this…_deviant_. If you want to become Hokage you can't hang out with such low class trash."

Growing annoyed by the conceited man's tone Naruto stood up as he tightened his grip on Konoe.

"Naruto-niisan was teaching me a technique to become Hokage!" retorted Konohamaru as he stomped his small foot. "He's a great ninja so don't call him trash!"

Shocked at his young charge's defense of the Kyuubi vessel Ebisu responded, "Him teaching you to be Hokage, how absurd! Any technique he may know is just as worthless as he is…."

"Oh yeah?! Well take this!" shouted the brown haired boy before holding his hands in a familiar seal and exploding in a cloud of white smoke.

As the smoke began to clear a new and beautiful female teenager version of the Hokage's grandson stood. Leaning forward suggestively the new girl let the wisps of smoke do their utmost in trying to hide the pair of perky breasts that she possessed.

"_I guess he only needed to be given the right incentive after all,"_ noted the whiskered Shugorei as he appraised how well Konohamaru had finally gotten the Oiroke no Jutsu down. _"Take that Jiji; try to spoil my plans will you…."_

Blushing fiercely at the display, but otherwise seeming to be unaffected Ebisu spluttered out loudly, "How…how absolutely vulgar! I am a gentleman; such an ultra-low class jutsu will never work on me."

Reappearing in his normal form Konohamaru looked dejected as he softly said, "Aw, it didn't work."

Letting out a chuckle the special jounin remarked, "Of course it didn't; besides how could such a technique ever be useful in becoming Hokage. A Hokage needs not only be strong but also know about loyalty, morality, getting along with family as well as over a thousand different jutsu. The only shortcut you will find to such a lofty position is through my elite tutoring skills honorable grandson. Now come along so we can begin your lessons anew and repair the damage done to you by that…."

"By that what?" interrupted Naruto in a dangerous tone. "You seem quite eager to put both me and my pervert destroying technique down, especially considering you don't have a single clue it seems about what it means to truly become strong."

"Oh and I suppose you do eh?" condescendingly inquired Ebisu as he gave a small smirk at the whiskered boy.

"You're damn right I do!" yelled Naruto furiously as he pulled Konoe into a battojutsu stance. "So let me show you what strength truly is!"

"You think just because you have a stupid little sword and survived a few fights you can match someone like me?" the sunglasses wearing man commented in a smug tone before taking on a dangerous look. "I'm a special jounin, an elite tutor…you're far too early to try and take on someone of my caliber with a few fancy Kenjutsu techniques."

"Who said I was going to use my sword, loser?" Naruto asked with a dangerous grin before making a cross like seal with his fingers. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

As the field seemed to become flooded with Naruto clones Ebisu looked unimpressed at the display, though he was slightly worried at the fact that a boy who had just become a genin could use such a Kinjutsu and so well. Before the man could comment all of the clones suddenly pulled their hands into a new seal before a giant cloud of smoke formed around them all. Coughing as he tried to wave away the smoke Ebisu found himself now surrounded by a horde of sexy Oiroke no jutsu Naruto clones.

"Ebisu-sama!" the fake girls suddenly yelled as they launched forward to envelop the man in a giant group hug right before he shot out of the clearing riding two gigantic spurts of blood from his nose.

Dispelling the clones and returning to his true form to watch the haughty special jounin fly over into a large tree to knock himself unconscious, Naruto commented with a fox like grin, "I knew you were a closet pervert when you protested so much about my technique."

"Aw you defeated Ebisu after I failed," said Konohamaru quietly as his shoulders slumped a little in defeat.

"That's the power of the Oiroke no Jutsu-Harem style!" crowed the whiskered blond proudly. "Even the most secretive perverts will fall to its power."

"Now what do I do?" asked the young brown haired boy as he looked to his rival/teacher. "I just got the Oiroke no Jutsu to work and here you still have even more powerful techniques."

Feeling a bit proud at being so highly regarded by Konohamaru, even though it was over jutsu he had developed to prank and expose perverts, Naruto replied, "You grow stronger by working hard. There is no shortcut to strength, power, and respect. The path is long and difficult, you'll face many things that will confuse you and try to derail you, but by overcoming them and gaining knowledge the victory is so much sweeter. Remember that there are no shortcuts, if the path was easy then it wouldn't be worth walking."

Strapping Konoe to his back Naruto looked over his shoulder at Konohamaru and remarked, "Here ends the lesson."

Taking on a look of determination and admiration the grandson of the Sandaime exclaimed, "I'll do it! I'll become strong and become Hokage one day!"

Walking out of the training field Naruto commented loudly, "Just remember that I won't acknowledge someone who is weaker then me. If you truly want that position you're going to have to really prove it."

Seeing Naruto walking away and leaving him to train Konohamaru yelled loudly, "I'll do that Oyabun! I'll become strong enough to beat you and become the Hokage after you!"

Having caught those words Naruto thought in frustration, _"Oyabun? How did I suddenly become the boss of some little kid? And why does everyone keep thinking I want to become Hokage when I say I want to be the best and the strongest?"_

Leaping up into the trees the Shugorei Heir commented quietly, "Damn people must think if they say it enough times I'll eventually give in and decide I want to be Hokage."

"_**Maybe you will,"**_ Konoe commented inside his creator's mind. _**"I think we would look good in those robes and hat-thingy."**_

"_Oh shut up!" _mentally fired back Naruto as he leapt from branch to branch on his way home._"You've been silent all day and now you decide to start talking? What did I do to deserve this?"_

Unfortunately for the blond the mocking laughter of his Zanpakuto came as the only reply.

* * *

An old and nearly forgotten tower stood hidden in the forests behind the Hokage monument in the Village of Konoha. While lacking the vivaciousness and prestige of the Hokage Tower this particular structure held just as much importance and secrets…or at least that was what its proprietor liked to believe.

"You and the others are prepared to take you places in the program and begin your mission," said Danzou more as a statement than a question as he looked to the twelve year old boy with pale skin and black hair that kneeled before him on the small walkway that crossed the center of one of the tower's upper levels.

"Hai Danzou-sama," the boy replied quickly as he kept his head down to show his subservience to the crippled man. "We have all read over the information provided us and shall not fail."

Not hearing his leader say anything in response the boy, who was just entering adolescence, quickly added, "The others and I would also like to thank you, Danzou-sama, on bestowing names unto us. We are…."

"Do not get too attached to them!" the scarred Elder sternly barked as he ended the boy's thanks with a quick strike from his cane to the right side of the boy's head.

Seeing the boy that had been bestowed the name 'Sai' slowly pushing himself back up into a kneeling position, not once crying out due to the pain coming from the large welt that was now causing his right eye to swell shut or even reaching a hand up to instinctively inspect and protect the wounded area, Danzou simply scowled. To the old man it was a sign that the boy was shedding the weakness that plagued most of the young genin that had graduated from the Academy only a week before. Shinobi were meant to be tools, weapons of war, and as such should be above caring about feeling pain or even pleasure.

"Remember that you and your fellows are my tools, tools that can easily be disposed of and replaced," the Elder growled as he shifted his one good eye down to stare through the boy in front of him. "Your names are meaningless and have been assigned to you out of the necessity of this mission. They shall not last beyond their required function."

"Hai Danzou-sama," Sai replied using words that had been ingrained into him since he had first come into the 'care' of his leader as he bowed down further, his new forehead protector that he wore over his brow down touching the floor. "As you will it, so shall it be done."

Reaching into his robe and pulling out a small envelope that he threw down before his prostrating subordinate, Danzou remarked, "There is a secondary mission for all of you to be prepared for should I see the need."

Taking the envelope without looking up Sai said nothing in response as he pulled out a several sheets of paper and pictures, one for each of the young 'Ne' members to read and memorize before deploying over the coming days. Looking over the top one, the one that he would use for himself before destroying it to make sure it couldn't be used as evidence against him or his master, the pale boy noted the whiskered face of a blond haired and blue eyed boy that was no older then himself.

"Should the time come do not fail me,' commanded the scarred man as he turned around and hobbled back across the walkway and back into the shadows that pervaded the tower.

Reading the information that had been given to him the boy remained kneeling, even as a new presence slipped from the shadows behind him to move up and kneel down next to him.

"That's going to bruise pretty badly if we don't get some ice on it soon," said a grey haired boy the same age as Sai. "You were merely expressing our thanks…Danzou-sama shouldn't have done that to…."

"Quiet Niisan," Sai commanded his brother hushed tone, though the new boy was in no way a blood relation to him…well at least as far as the two knew considering any information on who they truly were or where they had come from had been stripped from them long ago. "I…I shouldn't have let you convince me to say that to Danzou-sama. We are tools and showing emotion and possession of anything is forbidden to us."

"We have nothing except for what we are given, is it so wrong to be thankful for even such a simple thing as having a name?" asked the grey haired boy as he touched the swollen side of his brother's face.

"You always ask these things and get us into trouble Niisan," countered Sai as he winced slightly at the touching of the large and angry red welt that had formed. "Why can't you just accept these things like the rest of us?"

Standing up from where they had been kneeling down the two boys began to walk back to the small shared barracks style room they shared with the other boys that they had known since the day their training and indoctrination had begun.

"I…I want more than this," remarked the grey haired boy as he walked. "There has to be more for us out there than just being tools. I remember…."

"You remember nothing just like the rest of us," Sai said firmly as he walked past where his brother had stopped before turning to look at him with a hard stare. "You always say you can remember what it was like before coming here, but that doesn't matter anymore. We are here and we belong to Danzou-sama now."

"It always matters," countered the boy as he looked into the coal black eyes of his disbelieving brother. "We can be free on day, don't you see that? We could leave this place and…."

Before he could continue speaking his mouth was covered by Sai's hand.

"Do not say such things Niisan," the black haired boy whispered in a pleading tone. "You know what will happen to you if some one overhears you."

It was true; they both knew the consequences that could be inflicted upon them for even hinting at escaping and finding new lives. Only a year and a half ago one the members of their small group had been caught trying to escape through one of the service tunnels that connected tot eh hidden training facility that existed underneath the tower. The group of boys had been forced to stand at full attention for several hours as the boy who had attempted to escape was slowly tortured and dismembered before their eyes. Danzou had called it a fitting example of what they could all expect should they decide to betray 'Ne' and the Hokage discovered what it was they were hiding.

"But what if it isn't true?" whispered the grey haired boy as he pulled Sai's hand away. "What if the Hokage isn't like what we've been told? Maybe…maybe he could help us…maybe we could be…."

"Stop it, just stop," commanded Sai as his coal black eyes betrayed the worry and fear he felt. "Stop saying these things Yori-niisan."

Looking his brother in the eye 'Yori' responded with a small smile saying, "You just called me by my name, Sai."

"I…I just," Sai stuttered slightly. "I am merely practicing for our mission and…."

"You feel it too, you want it just as much as I," spoke Yori in a quick, hushed voice. "These names are only the beginning; we can be free Sai, not just you and me but the others too. We merely need to show them the way and remain determined."

Looking away rather than see the strength of conviction that radiated from his brother's eyes Sai responded slowly, "I…we…no, no more of this. We have mission to prepare for and this talk is an unnecessary distraction."

Giving a sigh Yori stepped up to walk next to Sai as the two moved on.

Up on a level above the two boys, shadowed yet able to see and more importantly hear what they had been saying, two figures stood.

"It appears that we have dissension amidst the ranks," commented Danzou with a deep frown as he watched the two boy's round a corner before heading down a flight of stairs that would take them back to their barracks.

"Shall I make another example Danzou-sama?" inquired a lizard masked 'Ne' ANBU with medium length black hair.

"No, we are too close to having the mission begin and their _names_ have already been listed for Bunji's program," responded the scarred 'Ne' leader. "Disposing of them at this point would make him start inquiring as to why two potential candidates suddenly disappeared. He may even get that peace loving monkey involved and that I can't have."

Pausing in thought for a moment Danzou then added, "Only 'Yori' is the problem at this point. 'Sai' is the best of the group and I would hate to lose such potential in my set of tools. Make sure he remain loyal and dispose of the other one…_carefully_."

"I could see to it a _training accident_ befell him once the program moves into full swing," offered the masked man. "Or perhaps he could get _sick_ and compound an injury…happens all the time when you are trying to produce ANBU."

"Hmm, both are possibilities," contemplated Danzou as stared with his eye into the shadows of his tower. "Do not do it too soon or it could raise questions. Wait until you can act without worrying about Bunji or Hiroto and remember that I want this to be subtle and untraceable Juro."

Pulling his mask up to sit on top of his midnight black hair the Fukutaicho of the new ANBU Training and Reserve Division let a sadistic grin cross his face.

"Subtly and secrecy are my specialty," Juro remarked considering few would ever guess that someone so high up in the ANBU command chain would actually be a 'Ne' operative. "Though there is something to be said for good old fashioned brutality now and then."

"Indeed," acknowledged Danzou as he thought back to how the man standing next to him had dismembered the young boy who had been caught trying to escape, such a bloody affair and yet the boy had produced the most wonderful squeals of pain.

Shifting slightly where he stood to look at his subordinate Danzou asked, "You are certain that Bunji and Hiroto do not suspect you? There is a reason why they are not to be underestimated."

"They don't like me that much because of my _youth_ and lack of _experience_, but they suspect nothing," said Juro while letting a small chuckle escape his mouth. "However, I do wonder why you aren't sending me or one of the others to take care of that demon brat."

Turning his eye away to look back into the shadows the scarred Elder replied, "Naruto is of use to me and may continue to be so…just as long as he keeps proving his worth. I do not require his death but rather his continued functioning."

"He's just got that demon in him," scoffed the Fukutaicho as he replaced his mask on his face. "It may be able to heal him, but let's see what happens if I remove both his head and his heart before burning his remains…."

"Enough!" commanded Danzou sternly as he suddenly silenced his subordinate. "You would be a fool to think that Naruto relies only on the power of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. That boy has the strength and skills to become greater than any other shinobi I have seen since the Yondaime…do not even begin to presume you know the truth about what he can be capable of!"

Wheeling on his heels quicker than one would expect from the crippled old man, Danzou pitted Juro with a furious stare from his one eye and added, "That boy is of great benefit to me and can help us attain what we have always sought Konoha to be. There will be no talk of his elimination unless I determine it is necessary…do I make myself clear?!"

Shrinking lightly under the killing intent that was aimed at him, Juro stuttered out, "H…hai, Danzou-sama."

"Leave me and prepare to implement the plan once the training program fully begins," ordered the old man as he seemed to look down at his subordinate.

With Juro giving a bow and disappearing into the dark Danzou was left alone to let his anger bleed off.

"_Jinjiro, my old friend,"_ thought the scarred man silently. _"Your great-grandson is proving to be most capable and valuable. If his intentions truly are just like mine, as I suspect they are, then Konoha shall soon enter into a new era…an era that we have desired long before that frailty called peace became part of this village's doctrine. Yes, a new era, my new era shall take hold."_

Walking down a shadowed corridor the Master of 'Ne' added silently, _"And should your descendant end up faltering…well martyrs are just as useful to a cause."_

Tapping his cane lightly as he began to walk off further into the shadows Danzou couldn't help but chuckle with a bit of glee as he thought about how the Sandaime had no way of knowing the storm that would soon sweep over not only Konoha, but also the whole of the Country of Fire.

* * *

Night had fallen upon Konoha yet that did not mean the day's work was over. In a familiar office in the Hokage tower the Sandaime was busily working at trying to complete the genin team forms that had been on his desk for sometime now and were needed for the team assignments tomorrow. However, just as he had been difficulty with the work earlier the Hokage still was experiencing problems with filling out the rosters, thankfully he had multiple copies of every form to replace the ones he destroyed out of frustration.

"No, that won't work either," complained the old man as he wadded up his latest mistake.

Tossing the wadded up paper into the large pile that overflowed from his trash the Sandaime let out a sigh as his annoyance and frustration grew. It seemed that every time he got close to finishing the task some new inconsistency would arise to show that he had made a mistake or not taken certain factors into account. Though the new group of genin was quite large it seemed that the ultimate source of the problems was, as usual, Naruto.

"Burning the midnight oil Hokage-sama," rhetorically questioned Iruka as he walked into the office leaning heavily upon a pair of crutches, having been released from the hospital for light duty only yesterday.

The scarred Academy instructor was still moving stiffly as his wounds had not yet fully healed, however that did not cause him concern. No, what caused him concern was the prospect of being ambushed by Anko, be she sober or drunk. The brown haired man had woken several times during his stay in the hospital to find his 'stalker' had slipped into bed with him and was in the process of undressing him or cuddling his barely clothed form.

"_Honestly what is up with that woman?"_ wondered Iruka as he made his way to the desk of his leader. _"I knew her slightly in the ANBU, but during that time she never did any of this…in fact she often seemed to go out of her way to avoid me. Everyone says she's unhinged from what Orochimaru put her through, but why is she focusing on me?"_

"Ah, I am glad you are here Iruka," said the Hokage as he shifted some papers around. "I have some major difficulties that I need your help in solving."

Quirking an eyebrow, considering he was still on light duty and in no way ready for a major assignment, Iruka asked, "While I am happy to serve I am confused at what I could do at the moment in my condition."

"It's these bloody team assignments," the Hokage stated as he pinched the bridge of his nose to try and alleviate the ache that was forming behind his eyes. "Every time…every time I think I have them finished I find that I have made a mistake or that the graduates left for assignment simply won't fit together."

Slipping into a chair that had been placed next to the desk Iruka leaned over to look at the myriad of half completed forms that were strewn about. Reaching down to pick up a few of the crumpled balls of paper that were on top of the overflowing trashcan and pulling them open to examine them Iruka hummed a wordless tune as he tried to figure out where the main difficulty lay.

"From what I see here you have come up with a number of teams that would do well should they pass their jounin instructor's test," noted the Academy instructor as he unfolded another crumpled form. "I fail to see where the problem is exactly."

Letting out a sigh, indicating his frustration, the Sandaime spoke softly, "The difficulty is where it always is…."

Realization crossing his face Iruka remarked, "Naruto, eh?"

"Sometimes I find myself thinking that boy is more trouble than he's worth," commented the old man as he leaned back into his chair as he pulled out his pipe and tobacco to try and relax his nerves. "However, he has something to him that…. He could do great or terrible things, Iruka. That boy could easily become Hokage one day and lead this village into a golden age…or he could decide to become a scourge unlike any that has been seen since well before the formation of the Hidden Villages"

Iruka could only nod in agreement, Naruto was proving to be by far one of the most impressive young shinobi that the Leaf could take credit for, his latent potential on top of his already developed skills was just phenomenal. While lying in the hospital the Academy instructor had been informed of the complete truth surrounding the boy he had come to see as his younger sibling. At first the injured chunin had thought the painkillers were causing his imagination to run wild, but the strict looks on the faces of Kakashi, the Hokage, and Naruto caused him to realize that this wasn't something that he was dreaming.

"_To think that Naruto is the heir to two of the strongest shinobi traditions not only in Konoha but also in the world,"_ Iruka internally noted as he thought of how it all added up to how his favorite student not only was one of the best at the Academy but also able to defeat the monster that Mizuki had transformed into._"When you know the truth it seems so glaringly obvious that you wonder how you didn't notice earlier."_

Naruto had explained it all to him, about how he was the son of Shugorei Kushina and Namikaze Minato, about how he had been trained by Shugorei Jinjiro, about how he had returned to Konoha upon Jinjiro's death and was now using the old Shugorei Lord's name as cover to slowly begin rebuilding Clan Shugorei. That last part had been a shock to both him and Kakashi as well, or so it seemed from the way the man's eye had suddenly darted between the young blond and the old Hokage. Knowing that Naruto had been skipping classes some days to work the political machines in Konoha from the shadows under the cover of his great-grandfather's name put some things into perspective for the Academy instructor, but that didn't erase the feeling of betrayal that had come from the fact that Naruto had decided not to reveal such information to two of the people closest to him until it seemed he had been forced to. It often seemed that for every step forward one made with him two steps back were taken at the same time.

"He is definitely…unique," remarked Iruka grabbing a pen and making a few notations on a piece of paper. "Part of him is happy and fun loving, a part that draws people to him…but at the same time there is something else, something that seems just below the surface or a part of his shadow. It seems to be hidden but when it comes out Naruto seems to turn into someone who is more like a battletested shinobi then a brand new genin…that part worries me sometimes."

"What you are referring to is his Shugorei heritage," noted the Hokage as he lit his pipe. "Clan Shugorei detested weakness and waste in any form. They trained each generation to feel the same by putting them through training that taxed mind, body, and soul, to purge them of any frailties. It was one of the many reasons why they have always been considered to be the best warriors in the world, from the rise and fall of the Empire to the founding of Konoha and even to their destruction when they bought the Yondaime the time he needed. Clan Shugorei has a history and legacy that is unrivaled by even great clans like the Uchiha and Hyuuga."

Taking a long draw on his pipe and then breathing out the acrid smoke in a heavy breath Sarutobi added, "Jinjiro, it seems, made sure such traits bred true in Naruto…."

What the Hokage didn't say was that he blamed himself for allowing Naruto to be indoctrinated in such a way despite the boy still having large pieces of what he was before met Jinjiro. Far too often the old man wondered what would have happened had he sent someone to travel with the Shugorei Lord and the young Naruto, had he sent teams out to find the two after not hearing from them for so long, had he been the one to make the sacrifice rather than Minato.

Dismissing those thoughts from his mind as far too often had he let them plague him, the old Hokage said, "That coupled with the fact that Naruto is the best of his generation means it is even more difficult to place him on a genin team that he doesn't want."

Nodding Iruka silently agreed with his leader. After the truth about Naruto had been revealed the explanation of why the young blond had not shown up for the graduation exam had come forth. Part of the scarred chunin felt it honorable that Naruto wanted to endure the same as those who would be entering into the program he had sponsored; on the other hand it seemed also to be quite selfish of the boy to do so without having informed those closest to him about such a decision. Thankfully the foresight of the Hokage had recognized the situation and concocted a plan that had, in a way, worked out perfectly to correct it.

"Naruto is quite skilled, Mizuki was mid level and got taken down quite quickly because he wasn't expecting such prowess from him," remarked Iruka gravely as he set his pen down and looked to the Hokage. "However, after Mizuki transformed I saw Naruto make several major mistakes that could have cost him dearly. Had he not been half crazed and overwhelmed by his rage and the transformation Mizuki could easily have dealt with Naruto and me before escaping. Winning was a combination of skill and luck on Naruto's part, unlocking some of the power of his Zanpakuto was a major part of that."

"That also goes to show the potential that Naruto has and why he needs a team that will direct that potential to where it belongs as well as a sensei that can handle him and correct his deficiencies," said Sarutobi as he folded his hands and placed them on the desk. "From what I understand, both from what Naruto told me and what I know about Clan Shugorei, this was the first time that Naruto reached Shikai. That means he hasn't unlocked all of the power that it has yet and will be trying more now than ever before to grow stronger."

"Hmm, considering Naruto's placement in the class he would traditionally be put onto a team consisting of two graduates that were at the bottom of the class," noted Iruka as he thought back to the results of the exam while images of the whiskered blond wearing a pair of light bracers flitted forth from his memory.

"And that's one of the main problems," growled the Hokage as he bit down on the tip of his pipe. "He'll never consent to being paired up with two other teammates who he doesn't respect upon some level or another. On top of that I can't guarantee that he'll pass the secondary test put forward by his jounin sensei with such teammates and that means he'll get into the ANBU program like he wants."

"Why not pair him with a jounin sensei that has orders to pass the team?" asked Iruka.

"Naruto will find a way to make them fail," spoke the Sandaime firmly. "Like all Shugorei, Naruto will not allow himself to be used in a way to promote weakness…even if it is for his own benefit. What I need are teammates for him that he won't want to see fail and a jounin-sensei that will know how to deal with him and all the secrets that come along with him."

Thinking in silence for a few moments Iruka suddenly suggested, "Pair him up with two of his friends from the Academy. It might be a gamble, but I don't think that Naruto would sacrifice their futures carelessly."

"I thought about that, but they all placed pretty high in the class rankings," Sarutobi commented as he pulled out a master copy of the graduates and their levels. "The lowest scorer was Nara Shikamaru who scored just enough to pass…."

"I have the distinct impression he only did that because of his family's trait of having a lack of interest in certain matters," interrupted the scarred chunin. "I have a suspicion he is far more talented then he lets on. Aburame Shino scored close to the top of the class, but I have a similar suspicion that he didn't show all of what he is capable of either, in fact I think most of Naruto's little group are far more talented than we have seen so far."

"Teaming Naruto up with the young Nara boy is a mute point anyways," said the Hokage as he pulled out two other genin profiles. "I am receiving considerable pressure to make sure the InoShikaCho trio continues on in this generation and frankly I'm inclined to agree since such teams have always proven to be worthwhile."

"Then what about pairing him with Hyuuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, or even Inuzuka Kiba?" asked Iruka as he looked to the tired face of the Hokage. "Any of them would work well with Naruto, being his friends and skilled enough to keep up with him."

Leaning back into his chair and removing his hat the Hokage replied, "The Aburame or Inuzuka boy would work, but I can't place them both with Naruto as it gives me problems with balance. Putting young Hinata on the same team with Naruto is problematic for similar reasons as to why I can't place her on a team with Uchiha Sasuke."

Iruka nodded in understanding, the powerful Hyuuga clan would have a conniption if they found that their heiress was being paired up with an Uchiha, the clan that had broken away from them and was considered in less then positive light for that reason and several others by most Hyuuga. The Hyuuga seemed to have mixed feelings for Naruto though. Hyuuga Hiashi, the Hyuuga Lord, seemed to be neutral on the subject, but that could change to the negative at the aspect of placing his eldest daughter and heir next to the boy. At the same time there was also the ruling Hyuuga Council to deal with. Iruka hadn't had much contact with them but from what he had heard around the village that particular group of elders was a considerable political power both within and outside the clan. Nothing was concrete but it was rumored that the group had shifted around certain funding to back elements on the Village Council in the past and such elements were openly hostile to the hidden Shugorei heir. If Naruto's heritage was revealed it could possibly smooth things over with the conservative clan, but it seemed that such a revelation was not to come anytime soon.

"So either Shino or Kiba with Naruto…that leaves one open spot to fill…," Iruka trailed off as he thought about who else to place on the team. "Haruno Sakura would work as she was one of the best kunoichi in the class and is part of Naruto's group of friends. She has an excellent mind in remembering the things. While her chakra reserves are only average for a kunoichi she possesses superb control and a great deal of latent potential that will flourish if placed with the right team."

"The Haruno girl is definitely a possibility, but I received a small letter requesting her to be put on a team with Uchiha Sasuke," commented the Hokage remembering that the powerful Haruno merchant family's head, Sakura's grandfather, wanted only the best for his favorite granddaughter. "The Haruno family has made numerous sacrifices to help ensure Konoha's survival both economically and militarily, but more importantly as a fellow grandfather I know what it means to want to make sure my grandchild is put in the best possible situation, especially considering the danger that they will face in the world."

It was understandable in a way. The Haruno family had never produced many shinobi and those that they did rarely made it past chunin. Instead the family concentrated on its merchant business and had made sure that Konoha prospered economically, often at the expense of their own fortunes and power. In such respects the family was incredibly loyal to its home and when one of its children decided that he or she wanted to become a ninja or kunoichi the family would steel itself and throw its support behind the child to try and make sure that success occurred. Such reaction was due to one trait or rather curse of the family as its shinobi who did turnout to be talented often died making sure that the vital interests of Konoha were protected and secured. Sakura's father was just such an example as the man had led one of the charges by the forces of Konoha the night of the Kyuubi attack to try and slow down the seemingly unstoppable demon. Thinking that the old head of the Haruno household did not want his favorite granddaughter ending up the same was understandable.

"Well maybe placing Shino or Kiba on the team with Naruto and a different student would work instead," offered the brown haired Academy instructor. "What about potential jounin as sensei?"

"That is were things get even more difficult," remarked the Hokage with a sigh. "As I said earlier, I need a jounin that can handle him and the secrets that he has. There are very few people that I would trust to put Naruto under. Yuuhi Kurenai would work as she is both open minded and incredibly loyal, but she just became a jounin just over half a year ago…her inexperience could hinder her. I thought about Gekkou Hayate for similar reasons, but his susceptibility to illness hinders him and he is constantly in and out of the hospital. Shiranui Genma and Yamashiro Aoba are also due to being on assignment at the moment."

"What about Asuma?" hesitantly asked Iruka as he knew that the Hokage's son had put in for a genin team.

Pausing for a moment as he considered it the old Sarutobi made up his mind and responded while shaking his head negatively, "Asuma has mixed feelings on Naruto, always has and possibly always will. While he could teach Naruto a lot I'm not sure if he would want to even if he knew the truth about whom, Naruto really is. His teaching method has always been pretty lackadaisical, something that Naruto would detest. Besides I think he would do better with a team like the InoShikaCho trio."

Racking his brain to try and think of other jounin that would fulfill the needs Iruka suddenly said, "What about Kakashi? He already knows Naruto's secrets and has a pretty good rapport with the boy. He has plenty of techniques that he can teach so there is little worry that Naruto would want to miss the chance to learn from him."

"Kakashi has actually demanded to teach Naruto," remarked the old Hokage as he recalled a discussion he had had with the Copy-nin months ago. "However, the Village Council is requiring him to take on Sasuke as an apprentice regardless if the boy passes the secondary genin test. Considering that he is the only one truly able to teach about the Sharingan other than Itachi it is something that can't be circumvented and I'm inclined to agree with."

"He was also the apprentice of the Yondaime if I recall correctly," commented Iruka. "He's not going to let the son of his master go without some sort of a fight."

"You have a point there, while Kakashi has been open about letting Naruto make his own decisions and be independent he won't just let the chance go by without sort of notice. I'm a bit surprised he hasn't been hounding me on the issue," stated the Sandaime as he rubbed his balding head in frustration. "Considering he has to take on Sasuke anyways Kakashi will also look to take on Naruto regardless of the political problems that would arise on the council for putting the two together. It has always been one of Kakashi's greatest virtues, his sense of honor and loyalty."

Closing his eyes and trying to will his headache away the Hokage added, "Kakashi has been put forward several times to take on a genin team in the past, but every single time he has failed them. His reasoning behind this is not because he has unattainable standards but rather because he only wanted to train Sasuke when the time was right. With Naruto added into the mix this determination will only grow."

Glancing to the papers in his hands and then back to the Hokage, Iruka responded, "Then why not use that virtue and let Kakashi have both of them? It would solve the problem and…."

"That is the problem!" exclaimed the Hokage sharply as he leaned forward heavily in his chair, raising his voice for the first time since Iruka had entered the office. "Teams are supposed to be balanced. They must be flexible for any mission they are sent on and they need to be set up in a way that allows each member to grow not only in strength but in character and wisdom. Putting Naruto and Sasuke both under Kakashi makes for a team that is far too skilled, far too strong…and that means that one of the other teams will be weakened and have a greater likelihood of failing, of dieing."

"_There it is,"_ thought scarred chunin as he watched the Hokage slumped back into his chair to take a long, hard draw on his pipe. _"The real issue…"_

The Hokage had been a frontline shinobi for the majority of his life, even well before he had started his upward advancement to the position he now held. Throughout the years he had done so much for his village and seen more than his share of the good and bad of life. How many lives had the old man seen snuffed out, how many of those lives had belonged to genin fresh from their halls of learning and eager to begin what they saw as the glorious life of a shinobi? In more ways than one the years were finally catching up to him.

"Death is a part of our profession," stated Iruka solemnly as he set down the papers he had been holding and remembered one of the moments that had changed his life forever. "But it is the lives we save and make that are our greatest accomplishment. You told me that back when…back when things seemed to be at their worst for me. I have tried to be true to those words since then, but it has been difficult."

Sighing heavily the Academy instructor continued, "Even as a teacher I still feel it every time, every time I accept a new class, every time I train that class, every time I watch that class graduate to enter a world I am all too familiar with, and every time I get a notice that a member of that class or one of its teams has fallen. I haven't actually killed anyone since leaving the ANBU, but I still feel the pain and guilt…as if I had delivered the final blow myself."

The Sandaime sat silently as he heard Iruka's words. Images of people he had known long ago who were now gone, small details about what they had liked, disliked, hoped, and feared, came to mind, a pale young boy with long raven hair and yellow slit eyes smiling, a blond haired kunoichi standing next to her young brother with pride that he had just become a genin.

"I try to tell myself that I'm not to blame for what happens out in the field, but it never truly makes it go away," said Iruka firmly as he looked to his leader. "So I try with every new student, every new class, to improve upon what I taught the last time and hopefully make it so I don't have to face it all again. However, it will happen again and that is something that I have come to both accept and detest."

Tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair the Hokage responded, "Balance…I've always thought that it was the key to surviving, that too much specialization led to stagnation and weakness."

"There are many types of balance, not just ones base upon skill and strength," the brown haired Academy instructor said softly.

Giving a small chuckle as his own words were quoted to him, the Hokage replied, "Quite true, quite true. It is oddly refreshing hearing my own wisdom quoted back to me."

Getting up from his chair and turning to look out his window the old man said quietly, "When was it that I became so old? I can remember studying under the Nidaime with Koharu and Homura back when we were young and fresh faced as if it were yesterday. Now not only have I trained my own students but they have trained students who are now looking to train students."

Taking his pipe from his lips in one hand the Hokage had a small shiver run up his spine as he thought, _"So much time, so many things, and yet I do not think I shall last long enough to see much more. So what will be my legacy, what will I do to ensure Konoha's strength and continued survival now in the days of my twilight?"_

Thinking on the matter for a moment the Sandaime kept seeing the faces of three young genin who had been full of potential, whom he had trained with the hope of realizing that potential, and whom he had hoped would use it for the benefit of their home. Staring out onto the darkened village the young faces of the three seemed to suddenly be replaced for a momentary flash as three different faces fit over them in the mind of the old Hokage before they returned to normal just as quickly as they had changed.

"_Is that it? Is there a chance for me to correct that mistake now after so many years?"_ wondered Sarutobi as he paused in bringing his pipe back to his mouth. _"Those three had so much potential to them…do I see them now in this generation?"_

"I shall let Kakashi have them both, as well as the young Haruno girl," the old man said suddenly as he looked over his shoulder to the seated chunin. "It will…it will be good for them all to push each other farther. The small rivalry that you noted before between Naruto and Sasuke will be beneficial and hopefully young Sakura will grow faster while trying to keep up with them."

Iruka nodded in agreement, though he was surprised by the Hokage's sudden turn around in opinion and wondered what had ultimately caused it. His own reasoning had been good, but he had thought he would need to add more to finally convince the old village leader.

"Most kunoichi don't want to be seen as being weaker than their male counterparts, Sakura has shown some signs of developing that trait though she seems to enjoy competing more with Yamanaka Ino over Sasuke sometimes," commented Iruka as he began to fill out a blank form.

"Ah yes, young shinobi crushes…more intent on impressing the object of their affection than performing their duties," noted the Hokage as he turned from the window back to his desk. "It usually passes given time."

"I'm not so sure sometimes," chuckled the scarred chunin before stopping his writing suddenly to look up with wide eyes. "You don't think that's why Anko's always after me, do you?"

Giving a hearty laugh the Sandaime replied, "Sorry but you're going to have to figure that one out on your own. I may be the Hokage, but even I'm not brave enough to try and investigate certain 'attachments' that some of my shinobi form. However, I will say that my wife finds it romantic to the lengths Anko seems to go sometimes to try and gain your attention."

Paling slightly at that Iruka exclaimed, "Romantic…Romantic?! She's stolen my clothes several times while I was at the onsens, leaving me nothing but my forehead protector, a black Speedo, and a small sash that had 'Property of Mitarashi Anko' written on it! That's not romantic it's downright scary!"

Laughing hard at the remark the old Hokage said in reply, "You're both still young so I'm sure you two will work it out eventually."

Though he was already pale with worry Iruka's face drained completely of blood as he thought about one day being as old as the Hokage and still being chased around by Anko. Shuddering with worry the Academy instructor muttered lowly to himself about it all as he went back to filling out the form before him.

"Alright then," the brown haired man stated as he paused his writing. "If the InoShikaCho trio is formed under Asuma and Kakashi takes Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto…that leaves…."

Taking a moment to count up the names the young man found that he could easily set the students into some of the teams he had been thinking about creating shortly before the genin graduation exam.

"Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino are all still in need of assignment correct?" asked the Sandaime, breaking Iruka's train of thought.

"Yes they are," the chunin remarked hesitantly, unsure of what the old man had planned.

"Put them on a team together," ordered the Hokage as he sat down in his chair.

"I can understand them working well together since they are good friends, but the Hyuuga are going to protest it," Iruka noted as raised an eyebrow in concern. "Clan Hyuuga has a poor relationship with Clan Inuzuka and it could…."

"If I'm going to catch hell for putting Sasuke and Naruto both under Kakashi I might as well go for broke," the old man remarked as he pulled his hat back on. "Besides this may help to smooth over relations with the two and considering the Aburame are neutral to both young Shino's family can help keep the protests down."

"And who should I place in charge of them?" questioned Iruka.

"Hmm," Sarutobi hummed in thought as he stroked his small beard before settling on an answer. "Put Kurenai in command."

"But won't that just cause more difficulties considering you already said she doesn't have enough experience?" Iruka inquired, wondering if the Hokage had finally gone senile.

"Tsume will love the idea of her son being taught by a strong kunoichi and Shibi has worked with Kurenai before and remarked in a report that he was impressed by her abilities to confuse even his Kikaichu so he'll be open to it," the Hokage stated firmly before his eyes seemed to stare to a place beyond his office. "Hiashi will…well I will speak to him personally on the matter."

Iruka simply nodded in response to the words of his Hokage. He wasn't quite sure, but he had an odd feeling that there were certain things happening in the Hyuuga Clan that were of grave concern to the future of its heiress and Konoha.

"Well then, if I use those teams and a few that I already had thought up," noted Iruka as he ran an eye over the list that he had been making. "It seems we are almost done…unless there are any more specifics you want to cover?"

"No, I trust you to make the correct decisions regarding the others," the Sandaime responded calmly before perking up slightly. "By the way, what are the designations for those teams we were discussing?"

"Well Kakashi's will be Team 7, Kurenai will have Team 8, and Asuma's team shall be designated Team 10," stated the chunin as looked to his paper.

"Kakashi will be leading Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura together as Team 7?" asked the old man suddenly as an odd look came across his face.

Double checking the forms Iruka replied slowly, "That's right…why, is something the matter Hokage-sama?"

"No, no," the old Hokage stated as he waved away the question. "I just wanted to make sure I remember the number correctly."

"Well then in total we are looking at fourteen teams for this year, though I'm betting that if things hold true we will only see four or five actually make it past the secondary exams provided by the jounin sensei," commented Iruka as he shifted a few forms. "Most of those who don't pass will be going into program that Bunji has been heading up…won't they?"

"Oh…, yes…most likely," Sarutobi responded brokenly as his mind was focused on something all together different from the notion of the new ANBU recruitment and training program.

"_Hmm, could it be fate that they will also carry that number?"_ wondered the Hokage as he thought back to the only team he had ever led. _"The image and now the number…could it be that…. Bah, it's just coincidence; I'm too old to believe in fairytales and omens."_

Dismissing the feeling he had in his gut the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure went back to half listening as Iruka outlined a few of the other teams that he had planned and weighing the chances on which teams would assuredly pass. Months later the old man, bleeding and gasping for a few last life giving breathes would realize the truth of the matter. That the three teams he had discussed specifics about would be the only ones out of the fourteen created from their graduating class to become true genin, that they would be the first rookies from Konoha to enter the chunin exam in decades, and to his horror that his sins and mistakes regarding a much older team seemed to have taken root in one he had such high hopes for.

* * *

**AN:**_ Well it took a bit longer than I had been hoping, but finally I have this chapter finished. I had contemplated trying to put it out earlier, but with all the things I have been working on it would have ultimately been lacking in the quality that I demand of myself and that is simply something I can't bring myself to do. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy the chapter as many of you have left some wonderful compliments on the story. I have to say that much of the feedback I receive is entirely positive and quite helpful in planning out how I want the story to develop further when refining my chapters. Now I know some of you have expressed that Naruto shouldn't be place on the canon Team 7, but after taking some time to think about it I found that it is quite necessary. Team 7 is needed to help with the progression of the story as several events I have planned can't be rewritten properly to fit a different team structure. Before any of you go decrying Sakura, Sasuke, and/or Kakashi I would like to point out that my versions of them for this story are going to evolve a bit differently, they will experience certain canon events but I plan on a few extra things to change them around a bit. This has already been evidenced by previous events in the story in which they have interacted with each other and Naruto. However, I know some of you will have a few critiques and criticisms on this point so all I can say is trust me that I will not let this story develop into a simple rehashing of the canon storyline. I am going for a unique and well developed take on the Naruto universe, so please bear with me a little…your patience will be rewarded. Finally, I am still hoping for some fanart if any artist is interested, it could be rewarded with a walk-on role as one of the characters I am planning to introduce later on when the missions and major story arcs begin._

_Thanks,_

_**Tyrchon**_  
-,-


	14. Chapter 13: Breaking it Down

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 13 – Breaking it Down**_

* * *

Patience…patience was not one of his virtues. Every fiber of his being seemed to be screaming at him to do something, anything, but rather than give into the feeling Uchiha Sasuke merely folded his hands before his face and leaned his elbows on the long desk he was sitting at. Frustration was building within the lone Uchiha as he waited, frustration at being forced to wait to be assigned to a team, frustration at having to assigned at all to a team, frustration that too many fangirls and wannabe lackeys had been fawning over him since he had received his forehead protector, and last frustration at the fact that he had been unable to get in touch with the only person who came remotely close to being called his friend…one Shugorei/Uzumaki Naruto.

Of course Sasuke had heard about the incident involving the whiskered blond and the attempted theft of one of the village's most prized possessions, the story had been making its way around the village for nearly a week now. However, like any type of gossip the story had seemed to grow and take on a life of its own so in truth he had little idea as to what had truly happened other than a few bare facts. What Sasuke did know for sure was that after the incident Naruto had been hospitalized for a while afterwards and kept in seclusion by a number of ANBU, two things that had kept him from talking to the blond. Even more frustrating was that when the Uchiha heir had tried to contact his friend at home he had been rebuffed by an imposing HK-47 and having witnessed what the guardian was capable of first hand the raven haired boy had decided that pressing the issue about talking to Naruto could wait…but oh how he hated to wait.

"Good morning Sasuke-kun," greeted Sakura happily as she moved to sit in the chair next to the raven haired boy. "Aren't you excited? We finally get to be real shinobi and go on missions and…."

Tuning out the girl and rising up from his seat suddenly the lone Uchiha turned to walk down the small stairs and out of the classroom despite the concerned questions that were suddenly being directed to him by Sakura and the annoying taunting that the pink haired girl was now receiving from Ino. Walking swiftly down the hall past many of the other new genin that were making there way towards the classroom Sasuke ducked into the nearest boy's restroom.

"_Why does she always seem so, so…clingy?" _the Uchiha heir furiously wondered as he marched over to one of the sinks lining the wall.

Turning on the water and leaning down to splash some on his face Sasuke looked up through the water droplets to his mirrored reflection.

"_Her and Ino have barely given me a day's peace ever since I started listening to Naruto and went to that damn lunch," _thought Sasuke as he gazed into his own black eyes. _"She's so damn persistent, what with that stupid party and…."_

Sasuke stopped his complaining suddenly, allowing his annoyance and frustration to drop away as he thought about the party he had been dragged to by Sakura. Originally the girl had only wanted to introduce him to her family, more specifically her mother and grandfather. However, before he had realized it he had been swept up by the commotion of happiness and pride that the Haruno family had felt seeing one of there own becoming part of the forces of Konoha. The Uchiha heir had spent much of the night in a whirlwind of eating, story telling, and old fashioned revelry as he watched Sakura be congratulated and toasted by her many family members. The pink haired girl had laughed with joy as she was picked up and put on the shoulder of one of her larger uncles to be spun around. Graduation gifts had been given and Sasuke would have sworn he had never seen so many new dresses, kimonos, or jewelry in his life. Yet throughout all of it, throughout the attention being focused on her, Sakura had kept grabbing his hand and pulling him along further into her world. It had been an experience that had touched something that had long laid dormant in the lone Uchiha.

"_It was so, so…different, not being the center of attention. Almost…fun,"_ Sasuke thought as a small smile slipped out onto his face. _"The last time I experienced such a thing was when…."_

Somberness suddenly fell upon the Uchiha heir as he recalled that the last time such a thing had occurred had been at a party hosted by his parents to celebrate Itachi's promotion to ANBU Captain, something that seemed to have occurred to someone else in another life.

"You look like someone with a problem," a familiar voice spoke, suddenly breaking the raven haired boy from his thoughts. "That or your breakfast is disagreeing with you."

Looking into the mirror Sasuke caught the reflection of a certain whiskered blond before turning around quickly to point and accusatory finger.

"You! How did you? Where the hell have you been?!" Sasuke exclaimed as he narrowed his eyes.

"Me?" asked Naruto, feigning innocence. "I was where I always am."

Storming forward to grab the blond boy by the vest and slam him backwards into the wall Sasuke's voice took on a dangerous tone as he said, "Don't give me such bullshit! You missed the genin exam, went and got into some sort of debacle over one of the village's prized possessions, and then don't even have the god damn decency to bother talking to me for a week! I had to listen to that psycho you keep as a guardian rattle off excuses before threatening to eviscerate me as usual!"

"Yeah he does have a way with words doesn't he?" joked Naruto as he was held by the cloth of his vest.

"This isn't a fucking joke Naruto!" yelled Sasuke, pulling the cerulean eyed boy forward before slamming him backwards into the wall once again, this time with enough force to cause some of the plaster to chip.

Preparing to say more Sasuke's voice fell silent as his eyes suddenly widened in surprise as he felt the cold steel edge of a kunai touch the soft flesh of his throat.

"You had best take a moment to calm down Sasuke," cautioned Naruto as he stood behind the lone Uchiha as his Kage Bunshin dispersed in a puff of smoke. "Breath easy now, wouldn't want for you to accidentally cut yourself."

Trying to glance to the side and perhaps catch sight of the Shugorei heir in his peripheral vision Sasuke growled, "You're threatening me again and yet you always try to tell me how we're friends. What a load of…."

Putting a bit more pressure on his kunai Naruto cut off whatever Sasuke was about to say before withdrawing the blade completely and placing it back into its holster.

"We are friends Sasuke, but you also have a serious memory problem," Naruto stated calmly as he watched the raven haired boy rub the spot where the small knife had been pressed. "You have difficulty in remembering that certain details are supposed to remain confidential. I don't go around letting slip your secrets so do take care in not revealing mine."

Examining his hand for blood before letting his piercing gaze bore into his friend Sasuke remarked, "We're alone, what harm could…."

"More than enough!" Naruto exclaimed as his displeasure seethed. "We are not in the security of my home or yours, but rather in a public restroom in the middle of the Academy. Someone could easily take notice or overhear. You would do well to remember that."

While he hated to admit he was in the wrong Sasuke gave a small nod of acquiescence. Naruto had a valid point, one that was reinforced by the fact that they both knew things that were at best highly classified and at worst…criminal.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" the whiskered blond asked. "I told you before that there are times when I have business that needs my direct attention, business that is not any of your concern unless I tell you otherwise."

Pivoting on his heel to turn away Naruto dragged a hand through his hair in frustration, refusing to look at the Uchiha for the moment.

"Business? That's your excuse?" questioned Sasuke as a hint of annoyance crept back into his voice. "When the Hokage told us that tale I had a feeling that something wasn't right, but now, hearing it from you, I know there's something important you aren't telling me."

Throwing a glance over his shoulder Naruto remained silent.

"You missed the genin exam, you missed out on becoming a shinobi with the rest of us, and for what…business?" the Uchiha spat. "That's a load of shit and you know it. You owe me a better explanation than that!"

Narrowing his eyes further Sasuke added, "When we met you told me about trust, but it seems you are not only incapable of trust but also a liar!"

"Leave it alone Sasuke," warned Naruto as he felt the weight of the forehead protector he wore on his brow in place of his cherished goggles.

"Or what you'll threaten me again? Perhaps this time instead of a kunai or locking me away in a room for a couple days you'll tear me apart like the Kyuubi!" yelled Sasuke as his anger got the better of him, though as the words left his mouth he immediately began to regret them.

Looking at the still back of his friend the Uchiha heir spoke slowly, "I…I shouldn't have said that. I'm…."

Sasuke's apology was cut off as he was slammed backwards into the same wall he had previously held Naruto against. However, this time instead of chipping the plaster the impact caused a small, body sized crater to form.

Staring into the rage filled eyes of the Shugorei heir as he was held by the throat in a tight grip Sasuke felt something that was akin to what he had felt under the gaze of Itachi…guilt mixed with fear. Guilt over the fact that he had blatantly stabbed at the only person he called a friend with something that was the daily nightmare of the boy. Fear over the fact that he had most likely just caused the end of their short friendship. Yet it was surprise that seemed to dominate the Uchiha's mind as his throat was released and he was let to drop onto the floor as the blond turned away.

"You want to know? You want to know where I was and what I was doing instead of taking some stupid little test with you and the others?" rhetorically asked a cold Naruto as he stared into the eyes of his reflection in the bathroom's mirror before turning sharply to stare at the low form of the raven haired boy. "I skipped the exam because I decided to cut my losses. You're weak and useless to me Sasuke…just like the others, not worth my time. I should have left you to rot in your own drug induced hell."

"Why…(cough)…why are you…?" the dark eyed boy tried to wheeze out.

"Because you're weak Sasuke, because you're afraid," the whiskered blond said with a smirk as his eyes seemed to flash red for a moment. "I have no use for those who are weak, for those who lack…hate."

Glaring coldly down at the surprised boy Naruto growled out as his voice deepened, "You're pathetic Sasuke and you always have been. And that is why I chose to leave you behind, to leave you alive…ototo."

His mouth going dry Sasuke watched as the Naruto that stood in front of him transformed into a visage that was hated and at the same time dreaded, his older brother, Uchiha Itachi.

"Seems that you can't protect anyone my foolish little brother," Itachi spoke cruelly as he tossed the bloodied body of Naruto forward to join the unmoving body of a pink haired girl in a familiar red dress.

Looking to the bloody faces of the two, catching the sight of blue eyes that had lost the shine and sparkle that they had held in life now lying next to a head of pink hair that seemed to have been caked with rust colored patches of drying blood, Uchiha Sasuke let out a soul-wrenching scream.

* * *

"Guaahh!"

"Hur…uaaaah!"

Puking his guts out while barely holding himself on his hands and knees Uchiha Sasuke did not look like the proud clan heir that he was. His body racked by the heaving the raven haired boy found himself spitting out the disgusting mixture of his foodless stomach. Having taken the order of his new jounin-sensei seriously Sasuke had not eaten a thing for breakfast before coming to the training field for the final test to determine who was worthy of being a genin.

"_I shouldn't have fallen into Kakashi's Genjutsu so easily,"_ the dark eyed Uchiha berated his self as he wiped the back of his palm across his mouth. _"I should have seen it coming when he started dodging me."_

Shakily making his way back to his feet Sasuke tried to shake off the vision that had been a culmination of his worst fears.

"_Itachi's not here and Naruto…Naruto wouldn't abandon me. He wouldn't,"_ repeated Sasuke silently, trying to reassure himself and focus back on the task at hand.

It was only an hour before noon, before time ran out for the test that Hatake Kakashi had set for his new students, only an hour before they were potentially sent back to the Academy and stripped of their status as genin. It was just less than a day since Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki/Shugorei Naruto had been told that they were the new Team 7, less than a day since Kakashi had shown up three hours late to collect them and then inform them that they had one final test to take.

"_And of course he makes us show up early only to arrive close to four hours late," _Sasuke bemoaned as he hobbled over to lean against a nearby tree. _"Then he tells us about those stupid bells."_

It had been quite the morning so far for Sasuke and his new teammates. After Kakashi had presented the hungry genin with the prospect of being returned to the Academy should they not retrieve a bell things had gone from bad to worst. The trio had dispersed into the forest surrounding the small clearing that was in the training grounds, hiding and waiting for the opportunity to snatch one of the small, silvery bells away. Of the three, Sasuke had been the first to try and the first to get decimated by the tactics of the lazy looking jounin.

"_He used a Kawarimi to avoid my kunai and shuriken and then handled my Taijutsu as if I were a mere babe,"_ recalled the raven haired boy.

Having tried to attack the grey haired jounin outright Sasuke had made a gamble and lost. Pushing through with his Taijutsu rather than admit his mistake the young Uchiha had come ever so close to touching one of the silvery bells that hung at the waist ofthe half-masked man. However, putting his focus on the two small objects had left him completely open to the Genjutsu that had been woven before his eyes and taken him to a place that haunted his nightmares, nightmares that had changed since he had gotten clean, nightmares that had now carried with them a new fear.

"_He wouldn't abandon anyone that he calls his friend,"_ Sasuke thought as he recalled the confrontation he had had with the blond. _"Naruto's code of honor forbids leaving comrades behind, but at the same time he desires challenges…the same as I do. He did what he did because he thought it necessary, just as I would in his place."_

The day before the two were to meet at the Academy to learn that they were to be teamed with Sakura to form Team 7, Sasuke had been waiting near the border of the Shugorei lands to intercept Naruto on the way back from the Hokage Tower. It had been a tense moment as the Uchiha had yelled and berated the only person he called a friend on leaving him the dark about the genin exam. However, the annoyance and anger he had felt had calmed when Naruto had revealed a Konoha forehead protector with his fox like grin, though the annoyance returned quickly when the Shugorei heir suddenly asked how the party with Sakura had been.

"_One of these days I'm going to find out who's doing all of that spying for him,"_ resolved the Uchiha heir as he lightly pushed himself off of the tree, remembering some of the taunts that had been directed to him during the sparring session that the two had engaged in afterwards._"She's an annoyance, nothing…."_

The denials came to a halt as Sasuke recalled the party that Sakura's family had thrown to celebrate her graduation from the Academy, a party that he had been dragged to by the pink haired girl after she had introduced him to her mother and grandfather. He had sat quietly most of the night, listening to the wild stories being woven by the traders that made up most of the Haruno merchant family. Other than a few introductions to family members that Sakura was particularly close to and being pushed forward to join in on some of the events Sasuke had been left in relative peace as he observed the festivities centered upon family and the pride that was felt on Sakura's behalf. It had been an odd sensation to not be the center of attention, something he hadn't experienced since before that night long ago. Having not been one for things that reminded him of better times Sasuke had stayed partly to not seem rude and dishonor the name of his family, but more so as to not back down from the challenge that social situations presented him.

"_Naruto is right,"_ the Uchiha heir sighed as he leapt up into the tree branches and began to move in the direction he thought he sensed Kakashi in. _"One of my greatest challenges will be learning how to deal with people again. If only…."_

Unfortunately before he could think more on the subject a feminine scream pierced the woodlands causing Sasuke's eyes to widen with concern.

"Sakura!" the raven haired boy breathed out in an exasperated whisper as he sped towards where the scream seemed to have originated.

Rushing across tree limbs and diving around thick trunks the Uchiha heir came to another small clearing that seemed to exist in the large training field that Kakashi had selected. Landing quietly in a guarded position on one of the branches of a tree that was perched on the edge of the small meadow Sasuke spied a sprawled out form with pink hair and a familiar red dress.

The lack of movement from the girl caused a small knot to form in his stomach as unbidden images from the Genjutsu he had just broken out of came back to dance before his eyes.

"_No, no! That wasn't real! She's not…she can't be,"_ Sasuke tried to reason as he shook his head to try and dispel his fears, dropping down in a light crouch just inside of the clearing before letting his eyes take on a firm resolve.

Moving quickly towards the pink haired girl Sasuke was only a few steps from her side when he felt something snag his ankle.

"Doton!" the voice of Kakashi suddenly boomed as Sasuke looked down in surprise to see a hand wrapped around each of his ankles. "Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu!"

"Gahhh!" yelped the startled Uchiha heir as all but his head was pulled downwards into the ground.

Struggling to try and move even an inch so as to break free of his imprisonment Sasuke felt a shadow fall over his face. Looking up he saw Kakashi giving him a one eyed stare.

"Hmm, you broke out of that Genjutsu I put you under," the grey haired jounin said as he crouched down slightly to look at his student. "I wasn't expecting you to break out of it so easily, but here you are…trapped."

Standing up and dusting off his pants Kakashi continued to comment, "Well I guess I should go track down Naruto now and share the fun we're all having with him as well."

Turning to walk away the jounin paused for a moment to look back over his shoulder with his eye to his two downed students.

"Remember to be safe if you two get up to anything while I'm away," the half-masked man teased before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

His face bright red at the implication that had just been aimed at him, Sasuke nearly missed Sakura beginning to stir and awake from unconsciousness.

"Oh my head," the pink haired girl muttered as she pushed herself over onto her knees and rubbed at her bleary eyes. "I should just say no to that sweet wine that Jiji and Kaasan like so much."

Rising up to her feet and stretching slightly Sakura suddenly seemed to remember where she was and the horrible images of a mortally wounded Sasuke that had been conjured in her mind by the Genjutsu Kakashi had hit her with.

"It wasn't real, but…," the girl trailed off nervously as she recalled a bloody Sasuke emerging from the bushes calling for her help.

"Um, Sakura," Sasuke asked looking upwards to the pink haired girl, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Looking down and letting her eyes go wide seeing only Sasuke's head and the ground Sakura immediately froze as the color in her face drained away.

"Ah, little help here?" the raven haired Uchiha asked in a puzzled voice as he noted the odd way the girl was looking at him, a way that wasn't any of the ways that she or Ino normally looked at him.

"Sas…Sasuke-kun…," the young kunoichi whispered slightly before fainting dead away at seeing the talking head of the boy she so often dreamed of.

"Aw damn it," Sasuke grumbled as he saw the pink hair girl limply sprawled out.

Trying to twist and turn to get out of the predicament he was in Sasuke looked back to the once again unconscious kunoichi. Staring at her and trying to will her to awaken once again and help him out, the young Uchiha suddenly froze up. His eyes going wide a small part of the raven haired boy noted that he could see the crotch of the tight black shorts that the pink haired girl wore beneath the red dress she favored. His blush returning twice as bad as before Sasuke turned his head away abashedly.

"_Calm down now, you didn't mean to do that Sasuke. You're just trying to get free and…,"_ the young adolescent boy tried to rationalize. _"It was an accident, besides you're a healthy young man and…."_

Sasuke's mind suddenly seemed to freeze up just like his body had as he felt a warm trickle come running down his nose to hit his upper lip. Eyes widening slightly the dark haired boy slowly extended his tongue and tasted the coppery flavor of blood. As the implication reached his brain a total shut down seemed to occur to the trapped Uchiha as his eyes rolled backwards into his skull, falling blissfully into unconsciousness.

* * *

Nearly an hour had passed since his test of the new genin had begun and already Hatake Kakashi was feeling a little disappointed. Perhaps it was from the fact he had been able to deal with Sakura and Sasuke so easily or rather it may have been because despite his best efforts he could not seem to locate his final student. It was even possible that it originated from yesterday's events when the young whiskered blond had berated him heavily for being three hours late to meet the newly formed team, even after said blond had hit him in the face with a dust filled chalk eraser. Whatever the circumstances were it seemed that only one thing could alleviate the grey haired jounin's spirits, his favorite series of novels.

Leaning up against a tree that was on the edge of the clearing where the exam had first started Kakashi broke out one of the little orange Icha Icha Paradise books as a sigh escaped him only to be replaced by a tiny giggle as he got back to one of his favorite scenes.

"You know some people would find it irresponsible of you to be reading such a book around young and impressionable minds," stated a familiar cerulean eyed boy who seemed to be lounging nicely on one of the larger branches that was over the head of the odd jounin.

"Hmm," hummed Kakashi in response as he shifted an eye upwards to catch sight of the blond. "Well some would say it is irresponsible for you to give away your position so easily when it would have helped you to secure your objective."

"Perhaps," Naruto responded as he shifted into a sitting position to look down at the head of the grey haired man. "But I do realize that if I had moved to try and take those bells on your hip you would have immediately noticed me. One way or the other I was going to be discovered so I see little point in arguing over the semantics of it."

Giving a small push and dropping down into a crouch on the ground only a few feet away from the tree Naruto began to stand and turn to once again see his new 'teacher'.

"I've already dealt with Sasuke and Sakura," Kakashi commented calmly as he flipped a page, his eye not straying from the book in his hand.

"I noticed," replied the Shugorei heir as he reached back to stretch out his shoulders and arms. "I also noticed that they are beginning to recover while we have this little conversation, you shouldn't allow yourself to be distracted so easily."

"So then, care to try your own luck?" asked the jounin as he used his free hand to hold up the two small bells with a slight jingle.

"I've actually been thinking about that and the little test you set out for us," the blond replied. "It's odd that you would make a test that at the most would only allow two genin to pass, especially since genin teams have traditionally always been a set of three students to one sensei."

"Traditionally yes, but jounin-sensei are given the option of taking on an apprentice rather than a full team of students if we so choose," countered Kakashi as continued to scan the pages of his book.

Taking a moment to reevaluate his ideas with the new information Naruto shook his head slightly as he remarked, "An apprentice maybe, but why then go through all of the trouble of actually testing all three of us? You're already familiar with each of our backgrounds and abilities, not to mention you know two of us personally. Making us compete against each other like this seems…wrong."

"You would have to ask Hokage-sama about why the three of you were put together," Kakashi commented as he glanced up from his book as he heard the young boy hit on part of what the test truly meant. "I am merely seeking a chance to pass on my learned wisdom to some eager young minds…."

Ignoring the false tone of innocent sanctimony coming from the man Naruto asked, "I thought you had told me that you weren't going to try and press me to learn from you?"

Closing his book slowly and pushing gently off of the tree he had been leaning on the grey haired jounin came to stand fully upright while directing his gaze onto the blond before him.

"I'm not trying to press anything upon you Naruto. However, you are a genin of Konoha now, so who better to teach you a few things than myself," the man said calmly as he slid his book into the pouch at the small of his back. "Besides from what I've seen of you these past few months, not to mention that stunt you tried to pull regarding the Academy exam, you need a good bit of direction in your life."

"And I take it you hope to be the one to provide that direction?" Naruto replied with a small smirk.

"I will do what I have to," Kakashi remarked as he tied the bells back to one of the small loops at the waist of his pants. "Now then, are you going to try for one of these bells or am I going to have to start teaching you using the hard way?"

"I see little point in trying for a bell," the blond responded as his hand inched up to behind his shoulder to grasp Konoe's hilt. "In many ways failing this exam would let me join the ANBU like I had originally desired. However…."

Letting his words hand as he drew Konoe in a flash and used Shunpo to speed past the unsuspecting jounin, coming to halt between the jounin and the tree Naruto smiled as he held the blade out, saying, "Failing in such a way doesn't interest me right now. In fact I'd prefer the challenge that comes from facing you…_sensei._"

As a wide eyed Kakashi seemed to falter in silence for a moment he suddenly burst in a poof of smoke to reveal a thick log that had a small, sharp hole piercing through it.

"Hmmph," the blond Shugorei snorted, his small smile still on his face, as he sensed the signature of the Kawarimi.

Before the boy could move in an attempt to pursue his quarry he felt the cold steel edge of a kunai press to the soft flesh of his throat causing his eyes to open wide in surprise.

"Senka, a move that utilizes Shunpo to allow the user to deliver a piercing strike at the blind spot of an opponent's back. It is one of the preferred quick kill strikes of Clan Shugorei," Kakashi stated calmly as stood behind the blond, watching as a small bead of sweat dripped down the side of the boy's face. "I've seen it used quite the number of times and your speed is only a fraction of a true master's. You telegraph your move, alerting your opponent despite your quickness, and on top of that…I can see your movements anyways."

As the revelation hit the whiskered blond his eyes widened slightly further and a second bead of sweat traveled down the small path traced by the first.

"I commend you for being able to use such a fine technique, but it simply won't work against the likes of me," the grey haired jounin said as his voice took on a low, serious tone.

Shutting his eyes for a moment and then opening them to show a renewed determination Naruto spoke calmly, "Byakurai."

His eye widening in surprise Kakashi barely dodged out of the path of the beam of light and electricity that would have pierced through his gut. Sliding to a stop a few yards away the jounin looked to see a small, singed hole coming from just over the right hip of the cerulean eyed boy. Watching as Naruto slowly turned to the side displaying that at the front of the hole a pair of fingers had been pressed to the vest covering the boy's torso Kakashi's eye narrowed.

"_In an effort to take me by surprise he fired that shot through his own body,"_ the jounin noted silently as all vestiges of his playful attitude were pushed aside. _"It's a flesh wound that will cause him some discomfort and slow him…."_

The man's thoughts were halted as he watched the small hole seem to fill back in with new flesh, throwing his assumption completely out the window.

"_He took the gamble knowing that he could rely on the Kyuubi to heal up the wound,"_ Kakashi thought as he stood up straight and continued to watch his student.

"You shouldn't inflict such wounds on yourself even if you can heal rapidly," the half-masked jounin admonished. "The consequences could be far greater than you ex…."

A sword strike came in for Kakashi's head before he could finish speaking. Parrying the strike with the kunai he was holding the jounin lashed out with his free hand it a backhanded punch, catching Naruto square in the face. Hearing and feeling the small crunch that came with the blow hitting the boy's nose Kakashi felt a mixture of satisfaction and concern, right before they were replaced by surprise as Naruto blew up in a burst of smoke.

"Yaaah!" yelled the whiskered boy as he came flying in through the smoke left by his clone only to have his new strike blocked by the kunai held by the grey haired man.

Looking up as he used both hands on his sword to try and push back the kunai held in Kakashi's one hand Naruto let a small smile cross his face.

Quirking the eyebrow over his right eye Kakashi didn't have long to wonder what the smile was about as a second Naruto suddenly came in from his left and a third gave a yell as it descend towards him from behind. Utilizing Shunshin to disappear in a swirl of leaves the three Narutos came together in a clanging and screeching of metal on metal.

Glancing around to try and sense where the jounin had made off to the three identical boys did not have long to wait.

"Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" yelled Kakashi in the air above the trio as the kunai he threw multiplied to cause a rain of deadly metal.

Two large puffs of smoke burst forth underneath the hail of kunai clones just before multiple smaller puffs erupted. Looking into the cloud of smoke and dust as he landed in a crouch Kakashi suddenly felt part of him seize up before being pushed to the side as he saw the shadowed form, just the right shape and size of a familiar blond, become visible. Leaning on his Zanpakuto, as the tip of the blade was pushed into the ground, Naruto stood with multiple gashes crisscrossing his body.

"It's over Naruto," Kakashi stated calmly as he stood up from his crouch. "There is no shame in admitting that someone has bested you."

"Never," the boy said defiantly, letting go off his sword before pulling both of his armored hands together to point palms forward. "Soukatsui!"

The whitish-blue flames seemed to dance upon his hands for a moment before being released in a torrent. The ball of flame rushed forward like a shooting star only to pass harmlessly through where Kakashi was standing as his form seemed to waver slightly.

Before he could register just what had happened Naruto felt a heavy blow connect with the back of his head, slamming him down onto the ground.

"Surprising how just a basic Bunshin can be such a useful distraction," remarked Kakashi as he stood over his student as the boy tried to rise. "Now are you going to stay down or am I going to have to start playing rough?"

Kicking back with both of his feet as he pushed off the ground with his arms was the only response the Shugorei heir gave.

Adjusting his hands down to block the double kick aimed for his belly Kakashi was surprised when the blond pushed off of him as if he were nothing more than a spring board. Steeping back to better absorb the impact the grey haired man saw his student use the forward momentum gained from the maneuver to tuck into a roll before spring back to his feet. Preparing to charge after the boy Kakashi paused as he was forced to reach up and pluck several shuriken that had been launched by the blond from the air.

Gazing with his single visible eye to his student the half-masked jounin said, "You are only delaying the inevitable. You don't even have your sword any…?!"

Eyes going wide in shock as he saw the weapon that was stuck in the ground suddenly pull outwards and fly to the waiting hands of Naruto, Kakashi thought furiously, _"How did he?!"_

"Oh, but it's only just beginning Kakashi-_sensei_," Naruto replied with a smirk as he spit out some blood that had dripped over his lips from the few cuts on his face that were beginning to close up.

Giving his sword a slight flourish to clear it of any dirt sticking to the tip of the blade Naruto gave one of his patented fox like grins. Reversing his grip so that the flat of the blade rested just on top of his right forearm as the tip pointed behind him Naruto shifted slightly to extend his right arm and move the reversed griped blade to point upwards from slightly behind his back.

"Now it begins," the Shugorei heir said smugly as he brought his left hand up in a fist before his face. "Buchikowasu…Konoe."

Bringing his hand up to shield his face from the pulse wave that came from the eruption of power Kakashi silently berated himself, _"Damn it! I forgot he unlocked his Shikai!"_

Pulling his hand down as the dust began to settle Kakashi began to move it towards his slanted forehead protector but halted the movement as he caught sight of the cerulean eyed Shugorei heir.

As small swirls of power died down around him Naruto flexed his now armored hands as he felt the weight of the black and platinum colored bracers and gloves.

Watching the boy carefully and scrutinizing the new additions to his wardrobe the jounin silently remarked, _"So that's exactly what his Shikai looks like. Iruka was pretty accurate in his description, light armored gauntlets that cover his hands and forearms while not seeming to encumber him at all. What else was it he said, something about the armor…morphing?"_

Dropping his hand away from his forehead protector and leaving it in place Kakashi commented, "That's quite impressive Naruto, but if I remember correctly your Shikai is still limited to close range combat. While I can sense that you are a bit stronger and faster that still won't gain you victory over…."

Kakashi's words broke off as he was forced to flip backwards to avoid a descending punch from the spiked right fist of the whiskered boy. Skidding to a stop and spying the Naruto pulling his fist from the ground and shaking off the dirt and stones that clung to the small spikes the half-masked jounin noted that the impact of the blow had left a two foot wide crater on the ground. The sight didn't even begin to compare to the large craters that he had seen created by the phenomenal strength of Tsunade, but Kakashi made a mental note that getting hit by the boy would still hurt.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu," the jounin said as he raised a hand to his masked mouth and blew out a large fireball.

Rolling to the side to avoid being incinerated Naruto pushed off quickly to spring forward towards his opponent. As he pushed forward a double-edged blade extended from the gauntleted wrists.

Quickly pulling a kunai out as he dodged a swipe to his midsection from the blond boy's right blade Kakashi parried the piercing stab from the blade on the left arm. Feeling the contact of metal on metal as the kunai and short blade screeched off one another the grey haired jounin lashed out with a backhanded swipe that caught the Shugorei heir once again in the face with an audible 'crunch'.

"_He's definitely a bit faster and stronger, but still…,"_ the grey haired jounin noted as he saw the large gouge that had been left in the hard metal of his kunai while noticing that the still extended blade from the boy's left arm seemed to bare no blemish of any sort. _"It's nothing that I can't handle."_

Throwing the kunai as he saw Naruto focus on snapping his broken nose back into place Kakashi watched with a bit of pride as the boy knocked it away with one of his armored forearms, not letting his opponent gain an advantage.

"_You would be proud of how skillful your son is for such a young age, Minato-sensei,"_ Kakashi thought as he charged in to barely miss the young blond with a snap kick. _"If only you were still here for him."_

Ducking beneath the kick that had been launched at him Naruto pushed forward to begin rapidly striking with his bladed limbs. However, despite the fury with which he struck he couldn't seem to actually hit anything as the grey haired man seemed to move just quick enough to avoid everything by at least an inch every time.

"Rrraaah!" Naruto yelled out in frustration as he tried to slice the man's legs only to slam both of his blades down to lodge the tips into the ground.

Not having the chance to pull free from the hold the earth had on him Naruto felt his head snap backwards as one of Kakashi's knees caught him in the chin to send him flying. Leaning with the path of his flight the Shugorei heir was able to maneuver into a backwards flip. Landing with his palms down Naruto pushed off and rotated several more times before ending in a crouch. Looking up, expecting to have to block or dodge a follow-up attack, the whiskered genin was surprised to see his opponent standing still with his eye closed and his arms crossed over his chest looking completely at ease.

"_I'm giving it my all and he's still playing with me!" _internally growled Naruto as his blades finished the slide back into the metal of his bracers that had begun when he had started his flips.

"_**What did you expect?"**_ Konoe asked calmly despite feeling the anger radiated by his creator._**"He's an elite jounin with years of experience. This is…."**_

"_I'll teach him not to underestimate me!"_ the whiskered jinchuuriki raged, interrupting the calm words of his Zanpakuto.

Falling into a stance that had his feet shoulder width apart and rooted him to the ground Naruto pulled both of his armored fists back to rest on either side of his hips. Glaring with enough force that it would not have been surprising to see twin holes burned through the jounin a strange thing began to occur. As his arms seemed to shake with rage the air surrounding Naruto's gauntlets began to shimmer with small translucent waves akin to when one was looking at the shimmering waves near an area being affected by a great amount of heat.

"Raahh!" the young Shugorei roared as he stepped forward with his right foot and thrust his arms forth.

As his arms extended out fully Naruto's fists opened up to reveal his palms as the shimmering air around them seemed to suddenly be released.

It was only the slight shimmer effect on the large pulse had that alerted Kakashi to the fact that something dangerous was moving towards him, fast. Not sure what to make of it the grey haired jounin quickly used Kawarimi to replace himself with a rather large stone on the side of the clearing.

"_Did Naruto just release a wind based chakra attack?"_ Kakashi wondered as he pulled his forehead protector up to reveal a gift that was a constant reminder of the painful lessons he had endured.

His mature, three tomoe, Sharingan contracting and then dilating slightly as it was exposed to the light the elite shinobi stared as the wave pushed forward to hit the stone he had used Kawarimi with.

"_It's not wind based, though it's still definitely some form of chakra,"_Kakashi reasoned as his gifted eye took in the patterns of the pulse wave._"At any rate it doesn't seem too danger…?!"_

Before he could confirm his evaluation the grey haired jounin was forced to quickly roll to his right as the stone he had been watching suddenly rocketed past him to go crashing into the woods behind him.

Turning his head to survey the damage caused by the large ballistic piece of rock Kakashi felt his mouth tighten into a hard frown as his eyes narrowed. The stone had ripped through two rather thick trees before impacting the ground and tearing up a small furrow several feet in length. While part of him was amazed at the power that had just been displayed another part, the part that marked him as a combat hardened shinobi, felt concern mixed with the hint of fear.

Looking away from the bit of destruction caused by the ballistic stone Kakashi let his narrowed gaze fall onto a half crouched, panting Shugorei heir.

"_It seems that little display took a toll on him,"_ the half-masked man silently noted as the Sharingan in his left eye took in the depletion of the chakra that shadowed the blond boy's body. _"I don't sense any of the Kyuubi's chakra, but whatever it was it definitely wasn't a normal jutsu."_

Deciding that he couldn't chance another of the attacks, he had barely noticed the first in time to avoid it, the grey haired jounin used his speed to appear directly behind the young blond, who was starting to rise on wobbly legs. Noting that Naruto was already tensing at his close proximity as he gave a heavy chop with his hand to the spot where the boy's skull attached to the neck Kakashi let free a small sigh as he watched the genin crumple back down to his knees.

His vision slightly blurry from the blow Naruto struck out blindly from where he was crouched towards the spot he thought he sensed the jounin, only to get a kick to his back in return. Getting a face full of dirt and grass the Shugorei turned Uzumaki felt himself being turned over onto his back by a kick to the soft spot on his left side just below his ribs.

"It's pointless to continue," the half-masked jounin stated as he grabbed the boy's armored wrists with his left hand and pulled him up to stare him in the face through the dirt and blood that almost covered the distinct whisker marks.

Hearing the words and feeling his wrists held in a solid grip Naruto lashed out with his legs to try and land a kick that would hopefully set him free. Unfortunately, Kakashi easily predicted the desperate attack and turned his body enough to let the wild blow glance harmlessly off his hip.

"That wasn't very nice Naruto," the jounin said firmly as he drove his right fist into the boy's stomach, hard, and watched as a heavy gasp of air left the blond.

Feeling a small burning sensation coming from underneath the fingers on his left hand Kakashi looked to see the gauntlets disappear in a small burst of chakra. Hearing the light clang of metal the man looked down to see a sword lying on the ground.

Unceremoniously dropping Naruto next to his resealed Zanpakuto Kakashi let out a small sigh as he thought, _"So young and yet so much trouble."_

Moving away Kakashi was stopped as he felt a small weight on his ankle. Glancing downwards to see a small hand grasping just below the bandages that wrapped around his shin the jounin was surprised to see half-lidded cerulean eyes staring up at him.

"Where…(cough)…do you think…(cough, cough) you're going?" Naruto rasped out as he tried to push up off the ground with his other arm while still holding onto the ankle of the man who had just driven him into the dirt. "I'm…(cough)…I'm not…."

The blond boy's words trailed off as the blackness of unconsciousness finally swallowed him and his hand went slack to fall from where it had been holding tightly.

Checking over the boy with his Sharingan eye Kakashi noted that other than being unconscious nothing else seemed out of place on the blond.

"You certainly are your parents' child," Kakashi remarked as he pulled his forehead protector back down to its slanted position and thought back to the unwavering determination that had been a trademark of both Minato and Kushina.

Kneeling down next to the unconscious boy the half-masked man reached back into the supply pouch at the small of his back as a certain memory flashed across his mind. Rummaging around for a moment his hand emerged holding a small spool of ninja wire as a smile fought to remain hidden beneath the fabric of his mask.

* * *

Blackness was all that was seen and yet it seemed warm, comforting, even…safe. Yet despite the wish to stay amongst the dark for a few moments longer a small dot of light burned forth brightly to disrupt and herald the return to reality. It didn't help that someone was calling her name.

Rubbing at her green eye as they adjusted to the renewal of the light Sakura tried to focus on the voice that seemed to be speaking to her.

"_So familiar…it sounds almost like…," _the pink haired genin contemplated as her mind began to process data only to suddenly become alert as several key points clicked together.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled suddenly as her mind recalled the images of seeing the young Uchiha first bloody and dieing from having been pierced by countless kunai and second nothing more than a talking head sitting on the ground.

Trying to push up as concern gripped her Sakura felt a small tug on her left wrist. Catching the shape of a person sitting not only just behind her but also grabbing her arm the young kunoichi did what came natural to her…she struck out hard with her free hand.

"Saku…Gaah!" Uchiha Sasuke exclaimed as he tried to inform the girl who had been crushing hard on him for the last few years about their situation only to get a massive slap to face for his trouble.

Trying to steady her breathing after being surprised to find someone right next to her and apparently trying to molest her Sakura shifted her gaze to find that the supposed perverted was….

"Sasuke-kun!" the pubescent girl shouted at seeing her dark haired 'love' rubbing at a large welt the size and shape of her hand.

Blushing heavily both for having struck the Uchiha and the fact that he hadn't let go of her wrist, even after having gotten slapped, Sakura began to mumble apologies.

"S'okay," Sasuke slurred as he shook his head to try and clear his slightly blurred vision. "I'm just glad that you're awa…aaak!"

Before he could finish speaking the raven haired boy was tackled in a fierce hug as two arms wrapped tightly around him. Struggling to breathe in the death grip that he was being held in the Uchiha heir strangely noticed that the smell of the pink head of hair pressed under his face was surprisingly pleasant.

"I…I thought you were…I thought you were dead!" Sakura wailed as small tears fell from her eyes to be soaked up by the blue shirt that Sasuke was wearing. "Sasuke-kun, um…Sasuke-kun?"

Glancing to the face of the boy she was holding tightly the pink haired girl noted that said boy was starting to turn a shade of blue that was coming close to matching the cloth material of his shirt and forehead protector.

Releasing the boy suddenly and bringing her hands up to barely cover her mouth Sakura spoke quickly, "Oh no! I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun! Are you okay? Here let me…."

"No!" the Uchiha heir exclaimed as he jumped back a few inches where he was sitting before giving a few coughs and trying to return to his calm, collected demeanor. "What I mean is…I'm fine thank you."

"Are you sure? You're breathing heavily," the young kunoichi noted as she leaned in towards the raven haired boy. "And there's…there looks to be some dried blood under your nose."

Rubbing the back of his hand furiously under his nose Sasuke responded rapidly, "It's, it's nothing…just um…I, uh…I got hit in the nose earlier before getting knocked out. It must have started bleeding a little when I was blacked out. Yeah, that must be it."

Watching Sakura tilt her head as she mulled the answer over Sasuke coughed lightly into his fist as he asked, "What about you? I didn't see any injuries on you other than a few small bruises, though you were unconscious for quite awhile."

Jumping to her feet and flexing her right bicep as she patted it with her left hand Sakura responded cheerfully, "I'm always fine when I'm with you, Sasuke-kun."

"Right," the Uchiha boy drawled as he stood up as well.

Her eyes widening suddenly Sakura cried out, "Oh no! What about Kakashi-sensei's test?!"

Stretching his neck muscles just enough to hear a small 'pop' Sasuke answered, "We still have just a little over twenty minutes left before the timer rings. If we want to get a bell we're going to need to go all out."

Giving a determined nod Sakura's demeanor shifted to curiosity as something suddenly clicked in her mind.

"Um, Sasuke-kun?" the girl asked slowly as she glanced about the woods surrounding the pair. "Where's Naruto?"

"I don't know, I thought I felt his chakra signature earlier but it was…it was different somehow," the raven haired boy responded quietly. "Right now I can sense him but it's really faint."

"Do you think he got a bell already?" inquired the pink haired kunoichi demurely.

Sasuke did not immediately answer the girl who was standing near him. Part of him wanted to believe that Naruto, being as strong as he was, could have gotten a bell. Another part of him, a part that was his pride as an Uchiha, seemed to scream that if he hadn't been able to then no one could. However, a third part overruled both parts, telling the boy that an elite jounin like Kakashi couldn't be defeated by a genin…even if that genin was himself or Naruto.

"I don't know," the Uchiha heir replied firmly as he turned to where he sense Kakashi to be, oddly the faint signature of Naruto also seemed to be near that point. "But I'm going for a bell regardless."

Walking towards the nearest tree the dark haired genin glanced over his shoulder to his kunoichi compatriot, asking quickly, "You coming along or what?"

"Hai!" Sakura said quickly as she moved to flank Sasuke as the two leapt up into the trees.

Moving from branch to branch the two genin soon came to the edge of the forest surrounding the clearing from which they had begun the exam. Preparing to leap down into the meadow Sakura was stopped by an outstretched arm from Sasuke. Before she could protest the dark eyed boy silently pointed out into the field. Following his finger Sakura let out a small gasp at what she saw.

Standing calmly reading his little orange book was Kakashi, completely at ease. However, what disturbed the girl was that just behind the jounin was the beat up looking form of a certain blond genin.

"Seems Naruto didn't get a bell either," Sasuke said in a hushed tone as he noted his friend seemed to be tied somehow to the center post of three training logs.

"What do we do?" whispered Sakura as she glanced from the unconscious looking blond to the laid back Kakashi and then to the raven haired boy next to her in the tree.

Sasuke was silent as he contemplated the situation before coming to a decision.

"Sakura, I'm going to attack Kakashi from the front," Sasuke said as he narrowed his eyes on his target. "Try to use the treeline to flank him. If we catch him between the two of us hopefully one of us will be able to grab the bells."

"But what about Naruto?" the pink haired girl demanded in a sharp whisper. "We can't just leave him. If we set him free he could help us and our chances would improve."

"Not necessarily," the Uchiha heir stated. "There are still only two bells and awakening Naruto could mean that either of us will fail. Besides, even if we were able to free him we would still need to wake him and that would take time we don't have, not to mention it splits our effort against Kakashi to the point where he can pick one of us off and then deal with the other."

"All…alright," the young kunoichi hesitantly agreed.

Focusing on where Kakashi was standing and reading Sasuke let a single word slip, "Go."

Even as the word was passing from his lips the dark haired Uchiha was already leaping forward out of the tree and rushing towards the grey haired jounin.

Making quick handseals and pulling in a breath as he closed in on his target Sasuke jumped upwards before raising a hand and yelling, "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!"

Breathing out Sasuke launched five melon sized balls of fire down towards his opponent. However, his feeling of triumph at taking Kakashi unaware turned sour as he watched the fireballs pass through the fading from of a Bunshin before impacting the ground and burning out.

Landing on his feet the Uchiha quickly spun to try and see where the jounin could have gone when he heard a familiar cry.

"Sakura!" the dark eyed genin exclaimed as he realized that the attempt to outflank Kakashi had failed, turning the pink haired girl into the prey.

Turning to sprint towards where he had heard the cry come from Sasuke's eyes widened a kunai with a seal tag tied to its handle landed in front of him. Leaping backwards the genin felt confusion enter his mind as the tag not only failed to explode but didn't even begin to smolder.

"_A dud?"_ wondered the boy before he heard a small hissing noise.

Shifting his eyes downwards Sasuke spied a second tag placed on the ground. However, unlike the standard explosive tag this one did not seem to be burning, rather it seemed to be crumbling away as the paper appeared to turn dry and brittle. Quirking an eyebrow at the sight the idea of a dud passed though his mind once again until Sasuke noticed that his body no longer seemed to be responding.

"Gas," Sasuke wheezed out in realization before slumping over paralyzed. "Shit."

Unaware that here backup was currently sprawled out unable to move Sakura was flinging every kunai and shuriken she could get her hands on as she backpedaled away from where Kakashi had suddenly appeared before her in a swirl of leaves.

"Did I get him?" the young Haruno girl wondered out loud as she no longer saw the grey haired man in front of her.

"No, I don't think you got him," Kakashi said calmly with just the hint of amusement as he leaned over the young kunoichi's right shoulder as his right eye seemed to turn upwards as a smile was hidden beneath his face mask.

"Gaah!" screamed Sakura in surprise as she leapt away from the sound of her sensei's voice.

Standing up straight and holding his book in his left hand the jounin used his free right hand to rub the back of his head as he said, "Oops, I was just answering your question…didn't mean to startle you. I'm not used to the whole teaching thing really."

A small bead of sweat rolling down the side of her head Sakura silently wondered, _"Is he serious?"_

"Hmm, seems like you're the only one left to try for a bell then," Kakashi noted as he reached down to flip a page. "Naruto's tied up at the moment and Sasuke is…well let's just say he should be a bit more careful where he steps."

Hearing that Sasuke wasn't going to be showing up the pink haired kunoichi's eyes widened a bit in worry, not only for the boy she loved but also because she was now completely alone against the jounin before her.

"Well this is a bit anti-climatic," the half-masked man remarked as he looked up from his book to where Sakura stood frozen. "I guess I can end the test right now seeing as both Naruto and Sasuke are down and out. I mean really, those two were the only real threat."

Eyes widening as her fear warred with the surprise at being dismissed so easily Sakura stuttered out, "Wha…what are you talking about?"

"You're just not worth the concern," commented the jounin as he turned his eye down to continue reading. "Sasuke is an Uchiha, a natural shinobi, as well as the top of his graduating class. Naruto possesses skills and talents that have been gained through his travels, skills and talents that easily put him on par with Sasuke in many areas and beyond in others. Compared to the two of them I have nothing to worry about…I mean really, you were the best on the written exam but all of your other skills are just the basics from the Academy, average ones at that."

Sakura felt her world falling away as she was being verbally picked apart.

"_He's right…I'm not like Naruto or Sasuke,"_ the pink haired girl thought as her body began to shake with despair._"I've got nothing to use against him that isn't from the Academy."_

"_**What the hell are you doing?!"**_ a part of Sakura's psyche suddenly screamed across the self-doubt and despair that was taking hold of the girl's mind. _**"How can you give up so easily? Kick his ass, Shannaro!"**_

"_I…I can't,"_ Sakura thought as she hugged her arms to herself, despite the small push of confidence. _"I'm worthless…just like everyone said."_

"_**Those girls were wrong!"**_ the defiant part of the young kunoichi responded as images flashed of a much younger Sakura being teased by a small gaggle of other girls._**"We proved it, we proved it with…!"**_

"_No!"_ Sakura fired back as small tears began to form in her eyes. _"Ino was there, it was because of her that I…."_

"_**She helped us, but we proved to be her equal many times,"**_ replied the stronger version of the pink haired girl. _**"She's not the one on a team with Sasuke! She's not the one who had him come to her graduation party; she's not the one who just formed a plan with him to gain a bell!"**_

Hearing those words Sakura seemed to go rigid. Though a few tears fell from her eyes the kunoichi let her arms drop down from where they had been cradling her.

"That's right…that's right…that's right," whispered the girl as her eyes blinked several times before suddenly shouting, "That's right!"

Dropping down into a fighting stance that she had learned at the Academy Sakura turned a defiant gaze towards a surprised looking jounin.

"I'm part of this team just like Sasuke-kun and Naruto are!" Sakura exclaimed as her tears dried up, her confidence flared, and her knuckles let loose small 'pops' as she tightened her fists. "I'm taking one of those bells and you're not going to stop me, Shannaro!"

"Are you sure?" the grey haired jounin asked seriously as he shifted his eye up to direct a narrow gaze at the girl. "I won't be any easier on you then I was with Sasuke and Naruto."

Charging forward in response the young kunoichi kicked out with her left foot, aiming for the chest of her antagonist.

Catching the girl's foot with his right hand and holding it tight to force Sakura to balance on one leg Kakashi spoke with a hidden smile, "Well it seems that all you needed was little push to get going. However…."

Twisting to bring her right leg up in an attempted kick Sakura ignored the comment only to miss as Kakashi ducked his head back. Falling into a crouch the young Haruno pushed up to throw a left fisted uppercut.

Catching the kunoichi's wrist and giving a small pull to throw her off balance the grey haired jounin looked directly into his student's eyes.

"I guess there's more to you then your file says," Kakashi said, finally catching Sakura's attention again. "But unfortunately this test is over in 3, 2, 1…now."

As the word escaped his mouth Sakura heard the brassy ringing of an alarm clock. Not having to look over at the stump that Kakashi had perched the small device on at the beginning of the test the pink haired kunoichi knew the harsh truth…Team 7 had failed.

* * *

It wasn't the familiar blackness of unconsciousness that greeted him, no it was something very different. Standing in waist high grass the Shugorei known to many as an Uzumaki looked around to see rolling verdant hills with granite boulders sticking out, thick copses of bamboo grew down the slope of one hill only to rise up the slope of another as it stretched out into the mists that seemed to circulate about everything. As the mist wrapped around him Naruto spied a distinctive black tower with red terracotta roofs and platinum sculptures guarding its edges. He had been here once before.

"_**So the conquering hero returns, eh?"**_ Konoe asked with a distinct sarcasm as he stepped out of the misty grove of bamboo that was perched on the hill the two stood upon.

"Why am I here?" Naruto asked, ignoring the sardonic tone of the hulking, demonic looking samurai.

"_**What no droll comeback, no witty retort? Don't I at least warrant a 'hello Konoe, thank you for talking to me and lending me you power in my hour of need'?"**_ the Zanpakuto responded with mock hurt.

"If you don't have anything to say then I'm leaving," the whiskered blond said as he moved to walk down the hill.

"_**One cannot go anywhere if they do not know the way,"**_ the armored warrior soul commented sagely. _**"All paths may begin with a single step, but that assumes you know how to walk."**_

"My legs work just fine," Naruto retorted as he turned around to face the soul only to find no sight of the being.

"_**Is that so?"**_ Konoe asked as he suddenly seemed to appear behind his creator. _**"What about your brain?"**_

Jumping slightly at the sound of the gruff voice Naruto spun to face the Zanpakuto.

"_**You charged in against an opponent you knew to be far superior to yourself,"**_ the Oni styled samurai remarked as he crossed his arms over his well muscled chest, the crimson markings on his body glowing slightly._**"You did it not for a clear objective or even survival, but for pride."**_

"I don't need the lecture," the young Shugorei interjected stubbornly.

"_**If I did not think it needed to be said I wouldn't say it,"**_ Konoe added, a resolve settling into his gruff voice. _**"You let your rage get the better of you again…you know what can happen if…."**_

"I know!" Naruto interrupted abruptly, his voice a mixture of annoyance and fear as the thought of the Kyuubi played through his mind. "I know…."

The sound of despair crept into the blond boy's voice as his words trailed off. It had been nearly the better part of a year since he had last had a confrontation with the Kitsune, time that had been greatly appreciated.

"I can't help it," the cerulean eyed Shugorei spoke quietly. "My emotions are part of me. I can't just…."

"_**I am not telling you to give them up, to become a detached void of a person," **_the Zanpakuto responded calmly as it looked to its worried creator._**"However, you must not let them get out of hand in combat…especially now."**_

Hearing those last two words and the importance that seemed to hang on them Naruto felt his curiosity spark.

"What do you mean, 'especially now'?" the blond heir asked.

"_**You've come farther much faster than I expected,"**_ Konoe answered slowly. _**"You weren't supposed to; you aren't ready for it yet."**_

"Stop it with the vague answers," Naruto said as he stood directly in front of the large samurai like spirit. "Tell me, tell me the truth."

A sigh seemed to escape from the heavily muscled, armored warrior as he looked down to his smaller creator.

"_**When you learned my name and unlocked my Shikai form I told you about the primary level of abilities it granted to you,"**_ Konoe explained as he uncrossed his arms and flexed his armored hands. _**"That level is called Henryo. It allows you to create the variable weaponry from the Shikai form. As I expected, you have begun to experiment with it to learn which forms work the best for you. "**_

"You just said that it was the primary level, you didn't tell me that originally," the boy stated with suspicion. "What aren't you telling me Konoe?"

Either not hearing the young Shugorei or just ignoring him, Konoe continued speaking, _**"You were supposed to spend at least a year experimenting with the variable, you weren't supposed to get this far so soon."**_

"Konoe, tell me," Naruto almost demanded as he heard the soul seeming to digress into rambling. "What is the other level?"

Turning away the demonic looking samurai seemed to shake the heavy helm that was his head, the long and spikey, platinum hair swaying lightly.

"_**It's too soon,"**_ the Zanpakuto spoke firmly. _**"You aren't ready."**_

Hearing the resolve in the soul's voice Naruto knew that it was pointless to argue, when Konoe didn't want to reveal something it seemed that nothing could get him to budge on that position.

"If there is nothing else then," the blue eyed blond said calmly.

"_**Remember to be more careful,"**_ Konoe remarked as Naruto faded from the mental plain.

Standing silently alone the demonic looking samurai seemed not to move forever until he lifted his right, armored fist. Holding the appendage up as if for inspection the air about it began to shimmer and turn wavy. Pulling his arm back and planting his feet firmly Konoe seemed to brace himself as suddenly all of the air about him began to shimmer and swirl.

"_**Makaze,"**_ the Zanpakuto soul spoke quietly before punching the armored fist forward and opening it to reveal his palm.

The effect of the movement was almost instantaneous as a large pulsing torrential wave was released.

Flying across the hill the wave flattened the tall grass as deep furrows appeared in the ground in the pulse's wake and oddly brown lumps and pieces were thrown up into the air. Hitting the bamboo forest the tall plants seemed to bend under the pressure before not merely snapping but seeming to turn into a blizzard of splinters as the pulse carried onwards. Pushing through the thick mists to reveal the dark shadows beyond the wave seemed to suddenly take on a few electrical arcs, setting the destroyed bamboo ablaze.

"_**Truly a storm caused by the devil,"**_ Konoe remarked as he surveyed the damage caused by his actions.

Turning to walk towards the tall red and black tower the demonic looking samurai heard the small clatter as the odd lumps and pieces that had been torn up by the wave fell back to hit the ground. Focusing on the shadowed mists behind the structure the Zanpakuto seemed to pay little heed as skulls and bones, stained brown by having been in the earth too long, seemed to get pulled back down into the soil as the tall grass began to grow once again.

* * *

The sounds of birds chirping was the first thing he noticed as his mind returned to reality. Blinking several times to allow his eyes to adjust to bright, noon day sun Naruto recognized that he was on the edge of the field where Kakashi had begun the test for the bells. Attempting to step forward as his body felt stiff the blond suddenly noted that despite feeling his feet touching the ground the rest of his body seemed to be tightly bound.

"Don't strain your self," Sakura said sullenly from where she was seated to the boy's left. "Kakashi-sensei told us that he used ANBU wire instead of standard grade when he tied you to the post, seems he didn't want us to get any ideas on trying to cut you free."

The blond genin's mind took in the information and a few glances downwards revealed that the pink haired girl's words were true. Relaxing his muscles Naruto recalled what his Hijiji had told him about the properties of ANBU wire. Unlike standard grade used by most shinobi the wire used by the ANBU was far stronger and more resilient. Trying to use chakra against it was foolish as the wire would react on a molecular level and tighten, even to the point where the thin cable would begin to cut into the person bound by it.

"Where's Kakashi?" Naruto asked as he began to concentrate on relaxing his body to loosen the hold the wire had on him.

"Don't know," came the slow reply from a sluggish looking Sasuke. "Haven't seen him…the timer went off…dragged me…."

Turning to glance to his right the Shugorei heir spied his Uchiha counterpart sitting on the ground and leaning heavily on a training post similar to the one he was tied to.

"What the hell happened to you?" the blond genin asked in confusion at hearing the other boy speaking with a slight drawl.

Flopping his head over in the attempt to turn and look at his blond friend Sasuke responded brokenly, "Step…gas…paralyze…."

"Huh?" the whiskered boy grunted in confusion.

"Sasuke-kun stepped on a seal tag that released paralysis gas," Sakura supplied as she pulled her knees up to her chest. "We were going for the bells after we saw you tied up and tried to catch sensei between us. It didn't work as planned."

"Ah," Naruto acknowledged.

"At least now he can talk and move slightly," the pink haired girl added. "Fifteen minutes ago he couldn't even sit up."

"Hmmph," snorted the Uchiha boy in annoyance before tilting slightly to fall over on his side slowly.

"Oh you fell over again Sasuke-kun," Sakura noted as she crawled over to the boy.

Seeing Sasuke develop a small tick in a vein on his forehead as Sakura propped him back up against the training log Naruto was suddenly struck by an image he found both hilarious and at the same time disturbing. It had the two taking care of one another as an old married couple. Snorting in an attempt to control his laughter Naruto received a confused look from Sakura and a look of annoyance from Sasuke.

"Well I'm glad to see you're all in high spirits at the moment," Kakashi remarked as he appeared in a puff of white smoke. "Considering not one of you was able to gain a bell."

The three genin all took on a small look of abashment as their failure was spoken of, though each still held as small hint of fire in their eyes.

"All three of you made a similar mistake in your attempts," the grey haired jounin noted. "And all three of you experienced the consequences of those mistakes."

Each of the genin cringed as they recalled how they had been beaten. Sasuke remembered getting caught in a Genjutsu after charging in at the jounin. Sakura let her head fall slightly as she recalled trying to set up some traps only to get ambushed and then placed under a Genjutsu. Naruto recalled the conversation he had with Konoe and how the Zanpakuto had been correct about him letting his pride and anger get the better of him.

"However, despite those failings each of you hit on part of the true meaning of this test," the half-masked man interjected into the melancholy that had befallen the three. "Do you know what they were?"

Catching the looks of confusion on the faces of the adolescents Kakashi began to explain, pointing to each in turn, "Sasuke, after you failed in your initial attempt you came after me only to find Sakura and a trap. However, when you freed yourself you helped her and came after me together, going so far as to make a plan to try and take me from two directions."

Shifting to point at the kunoichi of the group Kakashi continued, "Sakura, while agreeing to Sasuke's plan you still raised the concern over Naruto when you saw him tied to the post. Despite wanting to gain a bell you thought of helping him both as a tactical advantage and as his friend."

Wondering how the man knew she had raised that concern to Sasuke before they had attacked, Sakura let a small blush form on her cheeks.

"Naruto," Kakashi said calmly as he turned to look the boy tied to the log. "You recognized that there was something wrong with the test and tried to gain further information to clarify what you already knew. At the same time you recognized that fighting me would give your teammates time to recover, though you did have your own reasons for pressing the attack."

Naruto looked to the ground as Kakashi talked. Truthfully he hadn't been trying to buy time for Sakura and Sasuke to recover. His fit of pride and love of a challenge had been his one true motive, something that he suspected the jounin knew. Why Kakashi was making so much out of the small comment he had made before they had fought puzzled him.

"The three of you showed an amazing amount of determination," the jounin remarked. "From Sasuke making attempt after attempt to Naruto pulling out something new whenever I thought I had the situation figured to the major effort Sakura put in just before the end despite being alone and scared.

"What do you mean sensei?" the pink haired kunoichi asked with puzzlement.

Giving a small, hidden smile beneath his mask Kakashi answered, "At the end I was using one of the most devastating tools a shinobi can have in his or her arsenal, psychological warfare. Despite my attempt to break you down by degrading you and your skills you fought back. I've seen battle hardened troops break and run when put in similar circumstances."

Feeling a bit happy at the praise Sakura blushed a bit when she caught a small nod of approval from both of her teammates, though Sasuke's nod looked more like his head slumping as he was still having difficulty from the effects of the gas he had inhaled.

"So I feel I have to congratulate you three," the jounin said happily, causing the genin to perk up.

"Wait, we passed?" Sakura asked hopefully

Giving a small wave Kakashi responded, "No, you three definitely failed this test."

Losing the sense of hope that had suddenly come to them the three genin let their heads fall back down to look at the ground.

"Do you know what that is?" the jounin asked as he pointed to something behind the trio.

"Well considering I'm still tied to the post and Sasuke is still somewhat paralyzed you're going to have to humor us a little by explaining," Naruto quipped to try and hide the disappointment he and his teammates were feeling.

"Oh, forgot about that," the grey haired man stated with a small chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head.

"That's the Memorial Stone, right?" supplied Sakura as she looked to the large obsidian piece of rock.

"Correct," the half-masked jounin said with a nod. "On that stone are many of the heroes of Konoha, heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice during a mission. Many of the people I have ever cared for are named on it."

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke did not speak as Kakashi paused for a moment. All three knew that the only way to be put on the stone was to die in the service of Konoha. The fact that the jounin was sharing his loss with them was something that shouldn't be cheapened by words.

"Do you know why they made such a sacrifice…," the jounin asked as he shifted his only visible eye over to the three failed genin. "Even when it meant the disobeying of orders or the failure of a mission?"

Not knowing what to say the three remained silent. At the Academy and even in their families the three had been told that any shinobi who would abandon a mission were trash, unworthy of being called a shinobi let alone a hero.

"It was because of those whom they were with, their teammates, their comrades, their friends," Kakashi said quietly as his stared out beyond them, like he was seeing something no one else could. "Those who break the rules may be trash, but those who would abandon their comrades are far worse than trash."

"That's why there were only two bells," Naruto remarked softly drawing the attention of the jounin and his two teammates. "You were trying to divide us when really we should have been working together."

"Exactly," the jounin said knowingly. "You all touched on that idea, but you didn't follow through on it. Had you done so, you could have gotten the bells."

Seeing the despondent looks on the young faces the jounin suddenly perked up saying, "So I guess that is something we're going to have to work on when we practice in between missions."

"What?!" said Sakura loudly, displaying the confusion that both of her teammates were also experiencing.

"While you did fail to get the bells you three did come far closer than I ever expected," the grey haired jounin replied. "That and the fact that you almost figured out the test puts you heads and shoulders above many if the other genin hopefuls I've seen over the years. So you see I'm inclined to keep you and write this off as a learning experience that has taught you a lesson that would be far worse and tragic to learn in the field under someone else."

"We get to remain genin? We get to remain genin!" the pink haired kunoichi cheered as she leapt up, pulling Sasuke with her to grab Naruto in a team hug.

"_Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't have let failure deter them. They'd have gone into Bunji's new program and Sakura would have gone with them just so as to be not left alone," _Kakashi silently noted as he watched the two boys being held in a death grip like hug by the ecstatic girl. _"Better they stay where I can keep an eye on them and make sure they develop like they should."_

Watching the three genin the grey haired jounin was suddenly struck by how the scene was very reminiscent of one he himself had been part of.

Turning his head to look at the Memorial Stone and just beyond the jounin silently added at the sight of his three new students, _"You're laughing your asses of at me right now, aren't you Minato-sensei…Obito."_

"Well then, starting tomorrow Team 7 will officially begin taking missions," the half-masked man said with a bit of mirth to his voice. "Now why don't we all go for a late lunch before I have to report our activation to Hokage-sama?"

Giving a cheer Sakura jumped with her arms above her head at not only having passed but also because of the thought of food after having not eaten a thing for breakfast because of Kakashi's orders and having skipped most of dinner because of a new diet she wanted to try. The girl's actions had interesting consequences as both Sasuke and Naruto began to greedily breathe in the air Sakura's hug had deprived them of, though at the same time Sasuke crumpled to land on his hands and knees because of the weakness he still was feeling due to the gas he had inhaled.

"To lunch then!" Kakashi cheered as he seemed to become infected with the happiness that Sakura was radiating.

"Hey! What the hell about us?!" Naruto yelled as Sasuke tired to climb to his feet and steady himself against the log the blond was tied to. "We're still tied to a post or suffering the effects of paralyzing gas here!"

Unfortunately for the two boys it seemed the other members of their new team didn't here the Shugorei's yell as they left the clearing.

"I think we were better off failing," Sasuke commented softly as he slumped back down to the ground.

Nodding his head Naruto wordlessly agreed.

* * *

The late afternoon was just beginning. It had taken the better part of an hour before the effects of the paralysis gas had worn off and Sasuke had been able to walk, thankfully it had only taken half as long for Naruto to slip from the ANBU wire binding him to the post. Having both eaten before with Kakashi the two boys had found the man and Sakura in a small café favored by the jounin, unfortunately the two had just finished eating and the grey haired man had already paid the bill.

"_Stupid, always late, vague as hell, jounin,"_ Naruto cursed silently as he walked down a street on the edge of the bustling marketplace. _"Couldn't spring a little extra for the two students he knows best, could he?"_

Glancing up at a street sign to make sure he was headed in the right direction the Shugorei heir recalled how his new sensei had disappeared in a puff of smoke after citing the need to inform the Hokage about the new team.

After Kakashi had disappeared Sasuke and Naruto had been bidden farewell by Sakura, who had been embarrassed at forgetting the two. Annoyed the two young ninja had made a promise right then that those two were going to pay…somehow, some day they were going to pay.

"_At least I can always count on old man Teuchi and Ayame-neechan," _the whiskered blond thought as he recalled the meal he and Sasuke had just had. _"They know how to help a guy who's hungry."_

The Ichiraku Ramen Stand was becoming something of a second home to not only Naruto but also Sasuke, who not being a particular fan of ramen enjoyed many of the other dishes the Ichiraku father-daughter team was now selling. Due to the patronage of their favorite customer, and a discrete loan from a bank that Clan Shugorei had a controlling interest, the small ramen stand had been expanded out into a rather large restaurant and bar. Overseeing a dozen of cooks and nearly thrice as many other employees Teuchi could still be found behind the counter of the original stand which had been placed at the center of the restaurant. It had been an interesting decision, but Ayame, who had moved into being the general manager, had argued that it gave a distinct flare to the establishment and was a reminder of the spirit that the Ichiraku name symbolized. Many of the new customers to Ichiraku didn't realize that, seeing the stand as being a status symbol for VIP's to dine at considering the new restaurant had become the new trendy place to dine in not only Konoha, but also the Country of Fire. However, despite the expansion and the rave reviews that were received Teuchi and Ayame had made certain that one stool was always open for their favorite blond, going so far as to not only put a small name plaque on it but also surround it with a red velvet rope to keep it clear and ready for him at all times.

Stopping in front of a long street that had several large buildings with thick smokestacks Naruto knew he was closer to his destination. Taking a look at the small piece of paper he had written directions on the boy walked down the street to the last building.

"_This must be the place," _the Shugorei heir thought as he glanced to the sign that stood in a window that had a myriad display of metal workings.

Opening the door and hearing the jingle of bells the new genin tried to tamp down the annoyance that came at being reminded of the test he had just been put through. Stepping quietly the blond Shugorei ignored the large displays of weapons that surrounded him, making his way to where a girl was silently looking over a scroll behind a counter.

She was just about his age, maybe a year or two older. Wearing a pink, high collared sleeveless shirt that had red piping outlining it the girl showed off an athletic build. With her chocolate brown hair done up in a pair of buns on either side of her head the Konoha forehead protector that she wore across her brow was easily visible.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" the kunoichi asked as she looked up from her scroll revealing brown eyes that nearly matched her hair.

Giving a friendly smile Naruto replied, "Well I was led to believe that you do work on armor and…."

"Yes we have plenty of armor," the bun haired girl interrupted happily with a small smile as she pointed to several display cases. "We have mail, which is perfect for shinobi who want something light and flexible but still able to provide some defense, there's the light leather and plate armor that is preferred by the ANBU, or maybe something else. We do have heavier armor, as well as individual pieces such as forearm protectors, shin guards, helms…."

"Actually I have what I need," the whiskered blond interjected calmly. "I just need it repaired and refitted for me."

"Oh, well we can do repairs easily," the brown eyed girl said. "Or if you like we sell repair kits if it is only a minor job. You'd be surprised how many shinobi come in thinking they need something brand new or repaired when…."

"Actually this is something of a custom job that needs an expert touch," Naruto remarked, cutting into the girl's explanation.

Tilting her head in curiosity the girl asked, "Do you have the piece you need repaired with you?"

Letting his fox like grin cross his face Naruto reached into the pouch at the small of his back to pull out a bound scroll. Biting down on his thumb to draw blood as he used his free hand to open the scroll in a flourish the blond drew his bloody digit across the seal that were revealed.

Coughing lightly as the smoke that erupted from the scroll dissipated the bun haired girl's eyes went wide as she beheld the sight before her.

"Sugoi," the girl exclaimed as she unknowingly looked upon an old set of Shugorei armor. "Look at that."

Laying the pieces of armor on the counter Naruto watched as the girl began to examine each.

"This is amazing craftsmanship," the young kunoichi remarked as she looked at the pieces before picking up the breast plate and marveling. "It's so light! I've never seen armor like this before…where'd you get it?!"

"It was…a gift," the Shugorei heir supplied hesitantly as he thought back on how he had come to be in possession of the armory that the armor had come from.

"Wow, I wish someone would give me a gift like this!" the chocolate haired girl commented. "I can see why you said this is a custom job, only a true master armorer could handle a job like this."

"So can your shop do it?" Naruto asked.

Giving a grin like the cat who had just swallowed the canary the girl turned to the open door behind her and yelled loudly, "Okaasan! Otousan! We've got a special order!"

Quirking an eyebrow at the volume the girl had just displayed Naruto commented, "That's a pretty good set of lungs you have there."

"I have to yell pretty loud sometimes to get through to my sensei and one of my teammates sometimes," supplied the bun haired kunoichi. "By the way the name's Tenten."

"Naruto, pleased to meet you," the blond Shugorei said with a small nod.

"I take it by the armor and your forehead protector that you're a shinobi," Tenten stated as she leaned on the small part of the counter not being occupied by the pieces of the Shugorei armor. "But I don't think I've seen you around Konoha be….

"I was traveling for a while with my great-grandfather," the cerulean eyed boy explained, missing how the girl trailed off in her statement.

"Oh wow, you have a sword!" the girl said with delight as she spied the hilt over Naruto's right shoulder. "Not many shinobi our age seem to take the time to learn how to use weapons other than shuriken and kunai. Do you mind if I…?"

"Not at all," the Shugorei heir answered as he pulled the sheathed Zanpakuto from his back, presenting it with a bit of pride.

"Sugoi," Tenten cooed in amazement as she slipped the blade from its sheathe and examined it. "It's, it's beautiful."

Naruto watched with a small smile as Konoe was handled expertly by the girl. She let her eye follow the length of the blade and the sharpened edge. Lifting it up and holding it with one hand she tested the balance.

"I'd kill for a sword like this," the bun haired kunoichi stated as she sheathed the weapon. "It's perfectly balanced and the edge…I've never seen one that's been sharpened so finely. Who forged it?"

Accepting Konoe back and strapping it to his back once again Naruto replied, "Sorry, family secret."

Pouting slightly at not being told exactly where she could perchance get her own the adolescent girl suddenly perked up saying, "Wait, you mean your family is focuses on Kenjutsu?"

Naruto paused before he answered. The girl seemed to be very knowledgeable on weapons and their usage. From what she had said about not many genin taking the time to learn skills beyond the basics of kunai and shuriken she probably had some knowledge of which clan's and families had a weapon using heritage. His heritage was going to come out sooner or later, but….

"_Best to be careful just in case,"_ the Shugorei heir thought.

"They did…a long time ago," the cerulean eyed boy responded. "I'm the first one in just over a decade to take back up the sword. My Hijiji taught me, but he's gone now and I'm…."

"Sorry," Tenten apologized softly as she caught the meaning of the boy's words. "I didn't mean to pry."

"It's alright," the blond Shugorei replied. "Things happen…. Anyways, you were talking about others our age not taking the time to learn."

"That's right, all they seem interested in are kunai and shuriken, but there are so many great weapons out there to learn and use," the girl remarked with joy. "I'm training to become a great weapons mistress like my grandmother. She was a great kunoichi just like my idol, Tsunade-sama."

Naruto let an easy smile cross his face as he heard the girl talk a mile a minute about her idol. In many ways it wasn't to surprising. Few kunoichi ever made it to the level of power and fame that their male counterparts did, so for many girls hoping to live the life of a shinobi the Slug Mistress of the Sannin was the greatest example of what they wanted to be.

"It's so hard being a kunoichi," Tenten said, not realizing she was crossing into the territory of ranting. "I want to become great and yet sometimes it seems that the boys on my team get all of the attention and good parts of a mission. It's not fair!"

"Now honey, what was it we talked about with regards to ranting," a slim yet well muscled man said as he hobbled through the door that was behind the counter.

"But you know its true Otousan!" the bun haired girl said not skipping a beat.

Watching her father trying to calm Tenten down slightly Naruto took in what he could see about the man.

The man was a good height, perhaps just under six feet, and somewhat slim despite looking to be made of tight muscle under the blue t-shirt that was soaked with the sweat that seemed to roll off of him. He didn't seem that old, most likely in his late thirties. With lighter brown hair and hazel eyes the man had a warm smile. The way he moved with a certain fluidity screamed that the man had shinobi training, but seeing the cane he held in his left hand and leaned heavily on said that those days were probably behind him.

"Where's Mom?" the young kunoichi asked quickly as her father pulled out a small stool to rest upon. "She has to see this custom order."

"She's on her way up from the forge, but wanted to check to see how some of your cousins were doing making that new batch of kunai," the man said as he rubbed at his left thigh under the heavy leather apron he wore as protection from the sparks and heat that came from working near fire and hot metal. "You know it would do you well to start learning the trade during the times you aren't out with your team just like they are."

Puffing her cheeks out slightly in annoyance Tenten remained silent.

"So where's this great project you want me to take a look at," Tenten's father asked, seemingly wanting to change the subject swiftly.

"It's this armor," the bun haired girl said, pointing to the various pieces that cluttered the counter. "Naruto here brought it in and…."

"Naruto? Uzumaki Naruto?" the man asked slowly.

"Yes sir, that's me," the blond boy said, drawing the attention of the arms maker for the first time. "I need to get this armor put back into fighting condition and was told to seek out this forge by the Hokage. He told me that I that this shop was the best in terms of quality and honesty."

Tenten seemed stunned as she heard that the Hokage had recommended her family's shop and forge so highly.

Looking the boy over for a moment the brown haired man responded in a neutral voice, "Hokage-sama is too kind sometimes."

Staring into the man's hazel eyes Naruto wondered silently if it he hadn't made a mistake. Some people never openly discussed what they thought about him, but he had learned quiet easily since returning to Konoha that just because it wasn't said didn't mean those people weren't apprehensive about him.

"Well if Hokage-sama sent you here then he must have thought that it was a job worthy of our skill," the armorer remarked before pulling out a pair of gold wire rimmed glasses. "Now let's take a look see at…."

"Shinji! You've got to tell those nephews of yours that they have to be more attentive 'cause they ain't listening to me apparently!" a loud female voice hollered through the door that lay behind the counter and apparently led to the shop's forge.

Emerging from the door way came a woman that could make many men appear weak in comparison. While standing only about five foot six inches tall it appeared she had far more muscle then her husband and hers appeared to be more like coiled steel. Her hair was a dark brown bordering into black that was tied back into a small bun at the nape of her neck and matched the color of her eyes. Wearing what appeared to be a dark colored tank-top under a leather apron the woman's ample cleavage was evident as her tanned skin stretched as she took in the cooler air of the shop.

"Those two are going to ruin my forge and the name of my shop," the woman complained as she rotated her shoulder, trying to loosen the large muscles that covered it. "That last batch of kunai had far too much slag in them. We're going to have to reforge the entire lot."

"You were the one who made the suggestion of having them work here to Jia my dear," Shinji remarked with a small cringe as his glasses settled on the end of his nose. "If they aren't working out then we'll just have to hire someone to…."

"No, no…they aren't that bad…yet," the woman now identified as Jia resolved with a sigh. "Tenten honey, why can't you take after me more and work alongside me in the forge? You know all the basics since you spent so much time with me there when you were smaller. If you'd only just…."

"I don't want to be a smith like you Okaasan," Tenten said stubbornly as her cheeks puffed back up. "I want to be a great kunoichi, like Obaasama and Tsunade-sama."

"This is you mother's doing," the muscled woman remarked firmly as she shot a glare at her husband. "Tenten gets it from your side of the family."

Waving his hands a little to try and ward off his annoyed wife Shinji said, "Now, now we've been over this before and we agreed that if Tenten wanted to become a kunoichi we were going to be supportive."

"It's my choice Kaasan!" the adolescent girl shouted as she stomped her foot hard on the floor.

"But honey, what if you get hurt?" the older woman asked worriedly. "I'd die if you got injured like your Otou…."

"Working as an armorer and weapons smith can be just as dangerous, beside my injury occurred back during the war," the brown haired man said, though he lightly rubbed at his left knee.

"Um, if this is a bad time I can come back," Naruto offered, feeling a bit odd being the observer to the small family argument.

Hearing the words Jia turned to look at the hidden Shugorei heir, suddenly seeing the boy for the first time.

"Oh it's okay, we go through this a couple times a week," the female armorer said sweetly. "Now what's this job you need done?"

Blinking a couple times at how the woman had gone from being argumentative to kind in less than a heartbeat Naruto answered slowly, "Well I need this armor repaired and refitted for me. I heard that you…."

"Well let's take a look see," the muscled woman interrupted happily, echoing the words her husband had said just before she had come up from the forge.

Giving a sigh at the way his wife had just switched gears completely Shinji adjusted his spectacles slightly and joined her in examining the pieces of Shugorei armor that had been laid out before them. Going over several of the metal plates the pair paused as something distinct caught their eye.

"Tenten, go down to the forge an make sure those two cousins of yours aren't ruining another batch of kunai," Jia said slowly.

"But Okaasan," the bun haired girl whined slightly.

"Do as your mother asked," Shinji said, putting his foot down on the issue.

With a small 'huff' Tenten retreated past the door that her parents had used to come up from the forge that they toiled in.

Taking a few moments to make sure that their daughter had complied and wasn't trying to eavesdrop the silence was finally broken by the glasses wearing man.

"Where did you get this armor?" Shinji asked as he traded a glance with his wife.

"It was a gift, a family heirloom. I'm not sure where it originally came from," the Shugorei heir remarked, telling only half of the truth. "My Hijiji said before he died that it used to be more common for shinobi to wear armor. I got it from him in his will and was hoping to wear it in his honor."

Pausing to digest the blond boys answer Jia was the first to respond, "This armor is very old, and of quality one doesn't normally see."

"Do you think you can repair it?" Naruto asked hopefully, trying to avoid any further questions on where it had come from.

Trading glances once again with his wife Shinji answered, "We can, but it's going to cost you more than it would just to buy a new set. The armor we produce for the ANBU isn't as light or encompassing as this is, but it would cost you far less if you really wanted the protection on your vital areas."

"Cost isn't an issue," the blue eyed Shugorei remarked calmly. "My Hijiji left me…."

"Look, Naruto is it?" Jia cut in as she set down one of the shoulder guards. "Every armorer dreams that one day they can create armor like this instead of the standard issue that most shinobi want. While we can do it the thing that stops us often is that it will take time and money we don't have, it's the reason we only do these as custom jobs and not as standards."

"Armor like this would be a boon to any shinobi and most groups would love to be equipped with it, but it's easier and cheaper to buy armor that is of lesser quality," Shinji added to his wife's explanation. "While repairing and refitting it won't cost as much as recreating it in a brand new set, it's still very expensive. You could buy nearly a dozen of our ANBU class armor for that cost. It's just not…."

'Thunk!'

The sound of something heavy hitting the counter cut off the man's words and drew the attention of him and his wife. Pulling his hand away from where it rested on the counter Naruto revealed an ingot of gold that was three to four inches in length, two to three inches in width, and nearly an inch to an inch and a half in height. The two master armorers' eyes were transfixed upon the sight.

"As I said before, cost isn't an issue," the whiskered boy said calmly.

Picking the small brick of precious metal up Jia examined it with an eye that could immediately read the entire story about a piece of metal. The way here eyes widened indicated to her husband that the gold was indeed real.

"Where did you get that?" the slim man demanded firmly as he eyed the boy before him.

"My Hijiji knew what I wanted very well," Naruto replied slowly and deliberately, keeping his answer vague enough as to not reveal too much but at the same time belay the concerns of the people in front of him. "Along with the armor and a few other things he left me with a nice pile of bricks like that."

What Naruto didn't say was that said pile took up three large rooms in the hidden vaults beneath the Shugorei ruins and was not simply limited to gold. In those vaults was not only the wealth that the Clan had procured since coming to Konoha but wealth it had secreted away during the fall of the Empire it had served so faithfully, 'back pay' as Jinjiro had called it. It was more than enough for the young blond to live like a king for several lifetimes if he chose, but that would be easy and every member Clan Shugorei preferred a challenge to easy.

Giving his trademark fox like grin the whiskered blond added, "I'm pretty sure that this will cover the costs."

Nodding silently the two master armorers knew that the ingot would not only cover the costs but also leave some left over. The armor would not only be repaired but returned to its full glory.

"It's, it's…," the muscled woman stuttered.

"Who was your Hijijisan, Naruto?" Shinji asked solemnly as he eyed the blond carefully.

Giving a small smile the Shugorei heir replied, "You know, one other thing that Hokage-jiji said in his recommendation of you was that your shop knew how to be discrete."

The statement hung in the air as a small staring match occurred between the two males. It hadn't been said exactly, but it had been implied that this job was not to be well spread knowledge and that certain details couldn't be revealed even to the ones undertaking it. This wasn't anything really that new for Shinji as he had grown up in the shinobi community under the tutelage of his father and mother, both well respected jounin. Secrets could mean a great deal.

As Jia seemed to swoon over the idea of being able to really apply her talents to the armor and blabbered lightly to herself on what she needed to prepare to begin work Naruto casually pushed the gold ingot back forward from where it had been place on the counter by the woman.

"I'm sure we can come to an arrangement," the genin said as the gold bar was placed directly before the brown haired man. "Hokage-jiji seems to be rarely wrong about people he trusts."

"It will probably take us a few months to get it fully repaired and refitted for you," Jia said, ignoring the silent stare her husband threw her way.

"That is more than acceptable," the blond Shugorei remarked with a nod. "I don't plan on needing it for awhile anyways, not much need when you're a genin who will be doing D-rank missions."

Grinning happily the well muscled woman said, "Well if you have the time I'd like to get some measurements from you and we'll need to talk about coloring and preferences on materials that have rotted away and…."

"Jia," Shinji interrupted abruptly, catching her attention, as he folded his hands before his face and looked across them to Naruto.

Looking at the boy for a few moments, as if looking for something that only he could see, the man finally spoke, "What exactly do you want Naru….aack!"

Before the man could finish he was silenced by a fist to the top of his head delivered by his loving wife, who coincidentally had fire burning in her eyes.

"Shinji-kun," the woman growled threateningly. "This fine young man has come here looking for my expertise and yet you continue to pester him with questions. I'm taking this job and if you don't approve then remember that technically you work for me as this is _my_ forge."

Watching her husband rub at the large lump that had formed on his head the muscled woman turned to look at her customer, who had gone wide eyed at the scariness that she had displayed.

"Now then, why don't we step into one of the other rooms and begin going over some of the particulars," Jia said as she pulled the stunned boy around the counter after gathering the pieces of armor up and resealing them into a scroll she had on hand.

Hearing his wife ramble about ideas she had for improving on the armor as she disappeared with the boy through the doorway, Shinji let out a small sigh before steadying himself and rubbing at his knee and the prosthetic lower half of his left leg. It had been quite some time since he had lost it defending Konoha during the last major war. It had been a time when he had seen sets of armor similar to the one that had been laid out before him with much more common frequency.

The tinkling of the bells by the shop's door called the former shinobi from his thoughts. Looking up the man let a small smile cross his face as he easily recognized the person who had just entered.

"Hi Kaasan," the man greeted the woman tiredly with a easy wave thrown in.

"I see Jia has been working you just as hard as she did before you officially became a smith," Ayeka noted as she walked over to her second oldest son. "You didn't get into an argument again over the training I've been giving Tenten a few times a week?"

"No, no," the brown haired man said as he closed his eyes and picked his spectacles off of his nose. "Though she is a bit disappointed by the fact Toji wants to go to the Academy when the new term begins."

Chuckling lightly at the news about one of her grandchildren the Shugorei Steward commented, "I'm sure I'll get the blame for that as well, guess I should offer to teach him a few things like his sister. That should really get Jia hopping around."

"You just love making things difficult for me," the slim man joked as he slid his glasses into a small wooden case in the pocket of his leather apron.

"Just returning the favors you, your brother, and your sister did for me and your father when you were younger," the old auburn haired woman teased.

Sighing at that Shinji asked, "So how's Bunji-ojisan doing?"

"You uncle is alright, in fact we're going to have lunch at the end of the week," Ayeka supplied as she tilted her head slightly in thought. "He'll probably be complaining about the program he's in charge of so it will be good to let him vent a bit."

"Well say high to him for me," the brown haired man said calmly. "He doesn't come around much and I don't get to talk to him very often, but that might be a good thing as Toji would probably start begging him to teach him Ninjutsu."

Giving a laugh the two were suddenly interrupted by an annoyed holler.

"I heard that!" Jia remarked as he came through the door quickly.

"Now honey, let's be reasonable here," the man said as he brought his hands up to ward off any hits he might receive from his overprotective wife.

As the two began to argue, well Jia doing most of the arguing and Shinji merely trying to calm the situation down using logic, Ayeka chuckled for a moment or two as she was reminded of how her son and daughter-in-law had a unique way of showing their affection at times. Sighing to herself the old woman was reminded of a few times she had playfully fought with Oda when her children were growing up.

"Um, Jia-san?" the voice of Uzumaki/Shugorei Naruto cut in as the boy stepped through the doorway and into the shop. "You were telling me about…?"

"Oh right!" the muscled woman exclaimed happily, doing almost a complete turn around with her mood. "Now it will take a few months to get it all done, but I'm sure if I put in the orders for some of the required materials tonight I can start work by the end of the week."

"That will be more than fine," the whiskered blond said in acceptance.

Stepping out from behind the counter Naruto caught the slightly hidden glance that was thrown at him by the new person in the room.

"Ah you must be the Shugorei Steward. Ayeka-sama is it?" the Shugorei heir asked with a friendly smile and a twinkle in his blue eyes. "Hokage-jiji has mentioned you a few times when I visit him after he has been to a council meeting."

"Yes it is," the woman replied guardedly, surprised to see the boy emerge from where the shop's forge lay. "And you're Uzumaki Naruto, I've heard quite a bit about you. In fact your name comes up quite often at council meetings."

"Ah…yeah, I suppose it would," the blond genin said as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

"May I ask what you are doing here at my daughter-in-law's shop and forge, Uzumaki-san?" the Shugorei Steward inquired slowly as she looked the boy over.

"He has a _special project_," Jia interjected, using terms that would tell her mother-in-law not to press for details as it would violate the privacy that was offered to customers.

"Oh, a _special project_, eh?" Ayeka remarked, hoping the boy would reveal some details. "What would that be Uzumaki-san, not something that would be part of one of your elaborate pranks now?"

"Nothing like that, just a piece of family history that I wanted fixed," the cerulean eyed genin replied with a grin as he played the small game of words. "And please, call me Naruto."

Throwing a glance to the large clock that hung on the wall behind the counter the hidden Shugorei heir suddenly exclaimed, "Wow, I didn't realize it was getting to late in the day. If you'll excuse me I really need to be getting home, chores won't do themselves."

Giving a small bow to his three elders the blond left, a hidden smirk playing on his face as he mentally cheered about his accomplishment.

"Such a nice young man," Jia commented as she watched the blond walk away from the shop. "If only Tenten could be so lucky as to…."

"Dear you're planning on meddling again," Shinji warned from where he was seated. "Remember what happened last time; I don't think Tenten has forgotten it yet."

As her daughter-in-law and son began to descend into another lopsided argument over what was proper parenting Ayeka's thoughts were elsewhere.

"_So that's Naruto,"_ the Shugorei Steward mentally noted. _"He doesn't seem as bad as he is often mad out to be. Though there was something…something oddly familiar about him."_

Dismissing the thought the auburn haired woman suddenly caught the flash of a distinct yellow luster on the shop's counter. Shifting slightly to get a better look the old woman's eyes widened as she saw what it was that had caught her eye.

Moving over the rooftops of the village Naruto suddenly felt the distinct urge to chuckle as he made his way back to his hidden home thinking,_"Another step down, only a few hundred more left to go."_

* * *

**AN:** _Okay then, sorry this chapter is a bit later then I had originally planned. However, to compensate I have included several things that I had debated on holding off until next chapter. Anyways, I want to just say that Wave Country will be making an appearance, but it will be under different circumstances, circumstances that are going to really test Team 7 and its members. Keep the faith and I won't let you down._

_**Tyrchon**_  
-,-


	15. Chapter 14: Getting Closer

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 14 – Getting Closer**_

* * *

Hatake Kakashi was known for many things in his home village, some of the good and others…well not so good. One particular attribute was his chronic tardiness, something two of his students had grown to accept since having met the man well before being put under his tutelage. However, for the kunoichi of the group it was a rather new experience.

"He's late again," Haruno Sakura groaned as she leaned over the railing of the small bridge the three genin of Team 7 had met at.

Sitting quietly with his legs crossed beneath him and his Zanpakuto across his lap Naruto kept his eyes closed answering, "It's only been thirty minutes, he usually averages two hours so it is pointless to complain at this point."

"That's not the point. He's our jounin sensei, he should be on time when he tells us to meet," the pink haired girl insisted as she glanced over at the blond. "How would he like it if we decided to show up late?"

"Honestly, he probably wouldn't notice," Uchiha Sasuke commented as he leaned his back against the railing. "He'd probably just keep reading his book."

"What is that book anyways?" Sakura suddenly asked as her head perked up.

Cracking an eye open Naruto and threw a small glance over to Sasuke. Catching the Shugorei's look the Uchiha heir felt a small shiver run down his spine as he recalled how the two had once asked the man about the novel during a meeting between the three during the time the two genin had still been at the Academy. The jounin's response had been to read them one of the more graphic passages, both boys had difficulty looking at the girls in their class for a few weeks afterwards.

"You don't want to know," the two boys chorused with twin blushes of embarrassment.

"Eh?" the young kunoichi wondered out loud as she picked up on the uncomfortable atmosphere that had just descended upon the small bridge.

Before she could question her two teammates on their response a poof of smoke burst forth at the center of the bridge's walkway.

"Yo," Hatake Kakashi greeted in his usual nonchalant manner as he gave a short wave with is right hand, his let hand preoccupied with holding a familiar orange covered book.

Blinking in surprise Naruto commented, "Only a half hour today, that has to be a new record for you."

Giving a short grunt Sasuke nodded in agreement as Sakura turned and glanced between her teammates and her sensei in silence.

Rubbing the back of his head with his free hand the grey haired jounin began to say, "Well you see, there was…."

"Nope, no…I don't want to here it," the whiskered blond remarked as he took hold of his Zanpakuto and rose to his feet. "We're all just going to accept the fact that you're here and move on, we waste enough time as it is."

"_Aww, but I came up with a good one today,"_ Kakashi silently bemoaned as he watched his two other students agree with the son of his late master.

"So what's the mission? Are we weeding a garden, walking some dogs, painting a fence…oh wait, I'm sure there are a few other menial tasks out there that are a more pressing concern," Naruto noted sarcastically. "There's always carrying groceries and wiping someone's ass."

"I take it you aren't happy with the missions so far," the half-masked jounin responded as a bead of sweat ran down the back of his head.

"Oh, whatever would give you that idea _sensei_?" the young Shugorei remarked with a smile that didn't reach his narrowed eyes.

Putting his little book away Kakashi replied, "Well then I guess you'll all be happy to here that we are doing some training this morning and holding off on a mission until this afternoon."

Letting out a collective sigh the three genin weren't sure if they should be happy or not about that particular bit of news. While it was nice to know that they wouldn't be doing a boring D-rank mission, the idea of training wasn't necessarily any better. Kakashi's sense of training was far different from that held by the three eager, young ninja.

It wasn't that the man didn't actually teach them anything, far from it in fact. It was the end of the week and only a few days since Team 7 had been formed. Over that time Kakashi had spent a few hours every day going over the basics in everything from trap making and concealment to strategy and movement patterns. For three genin, eager to learn bigger and better things, it had been something of a let down.

"Oh don't look so down," the jounin said as he hopped up to sit on the railing opposite the one his genin were standing next to. "Today we are going to be dealing with Genjutsu."

Hearing that they may actually be learning some techniques the genin immediately perked up.

"What Genjutsu are we going to learn first sensei?" Sakura asked eagerly.

"This won't be so much learning a jutsu so much as it will be learning how to defeat them," Kakashi remarked, watching as the faces of the three teens fell slightly. "Before you decide that this is just going to be a lecture I think you should all remember that I defeated two of you easily by using Genjutsu during our little test a few days ago."

Throwing a glance to his teammates Naruto saw that both Sasuke and Sakura looked to be both slightly embarrassed and angry as the reminder of their early loss.

"Now, you all know that Genjutsu basically confuses your senses and mind, tricking you into believing something that isn't real, but when it come to defeating such techniques you all seem to be lacking," the grey haired jounin began to explain. "Now there are three basic ways to defeat Genjutsu. The first, and most difficult, is to reverse the Genjutsu so that the caster ends up becoming the victim. This way is difficult as it requires both good chakra control as well as knowledge of the Genjutsu being used. The second way is much easier as it only requires good chakra control. Basically you concentrate your chakra and halt its flow before releasing it in a small pulse to disrupt the illusion. The third way is to break the Genjutsu by using pain. I've seen plenty of shinobi give themselves a small flesh wound to cause their senses to flare and shake off the technique."

As he mentioned the third way Kakashi noted that Sakura looked slightly pale at hearing that people would intentionally injure themselves.

"_Hmm, I'm going to have to talk with Sakura a bit to get her accustomed to some of the darker elements of our line of work," _the mask wearing thought, making a mental note.

"Um…sensei?" the pink haired girl asked hesitantly as she raised her hand slightly to gain his attention. "You said those were the basic ways, does that mean there are others?"

A hidden smile forming under his mask at the girl's intelligent question Kakashi responded, "There are, but they are mostly limited to clans with Kekkei Genkai or shinobi that have specialized in the use of Genjutsu, Sasuke for instance will be able to deal more easily with Genjutsu once he awakens his Sharingan. Right now though, I'm going to teach you the second way."

Shifting his dark eyes to look away from his sensei the Uchiha heir silently grumbled over the fact that he, hailed as a genius by so many, had yet to unlock the Doujutsu that was the hallmark of his clan.

Forming his hands into the 'Ram' handseal the jounin continued his explanation saying, "The key to defeating any Genjutsu, no matter which way you use, is to first recognize that you are being affected by it. Following that you need to concentrate your flow of chakra down to almost nothing before releasing it in a large pulse throughout your body. Basically think of this method as tightening your chakra into a small ball inside of you and then letting that ball burst once the pressure has gotten too high. Now you can try to do this without the use of handseals, but it is easier if you use the 'Ram' handseal and the command, 'kai'."

Taking his hands from the position of the seal the jounin gestured for the three genin to give it a try. Watching carefully and feeling a few small pulses the man gave another hidden smile.

"_Well Sakura has it down easily, probably because she's got the smallest amount of chakra and the best chakra control of the three. Naruto's doing pretty well, but it seems he's having some trouble,"_ the half-masked jounin silently noted. _"That's not too surprising considering he has such a large chakra reserve. Sasuke seems to have little difficulty with it, though not as good as Sakura. Hmm, probably should work on teaching them better chakra control sometime soon."_

"Alright, now I'm going to put you under a Genjutsu and I want you to try to break free," Kakashi said before noting that both Sasuke and Sakura were now eyeing him wearily. "Don't worry it will just be a basic one that will try to put you to sleep, though I will start ratcheting up the difficulty level when I feel you are ready."

Silently nodding in acceptance the three genin watched as their teacher brought his hands up in the 'Rat' seal. The effect was almost immediate as all three suddenly felt their vision waver and their eyelids become heavy.

Blinking a few times in the attempt to focus a bleary eyed Naruto thought,_"Okay, now to concentrate my chakra and…."_

"Kai", the three genin yelled nearly together.

"Good, seems you three can break out of low D-rank technique," the jounin commented as his eye turned upwards as his smile was hidden by his mask.

"Come on Kakashi-sensei," Sakura implored with a smug little grin. "That was too easy, give us something harder."

"Harder, eh?" remarked the man with a bit of amusement dripping from his voice. "Alright then let's see if you can break free from the one I trapped you in before during the bell test."

Hearing that both Sakura and Sasuke paled as they recalled the horror they had experienced when put under that particular illusion. Unsure as to why his teammates had suddenly tensed up Naruto turned to look at them, but his head suddenly hurt and he was forced to shut his eyes for a moment.

Blinking several times the whiskered blond looked around to see that nothing seemed to have changed. Scratching his head the boy looked to where Kakashi had been standing, seeing the jounin calmly reading his book. Puzzled by why Sakura and Sasuke would be intimidated by such a sight the blond leaned back against the railing to wonder if the Genjutsu had even taken effect.

"Hey sensei, are you going to put the Genjutsu on us or not?" the boy asked only to be greeted by silence. "Hello…sensei?"

Reaching out to snap his fingers in front of the jounin and get his attention Naruto jumped slightly in shock when the man's head fell off.

"Holy shit! Did you guys see that?!" the blond yelled as he turned to see Sakura and Sasuke melting into one another as if they were made of wax.

Watching as the world about him seemed to turn upside down and bleed all of its colors into one swirling spiral the young genin noted that someone new was now standing next to him. Turning his head Naruto reeled back slightly at the sight.

"**Hello, I'm here to eat your soul,"** a deceptively small and cute Kyuubi said with a sweet voice and giggle while small hearts and stars formed around him as he looked to his vessel with a cute little smile and puppy like eyes. **"Will you scratch behind my ears while I eviscerate you?"**

"_Okay, I must be in the Genjutsu cause this is weird as hell,"_ the whiskered blond thought as he brought his hands up to form the 'Ram' seal.

"Wait, you can't go yet! I command it and I'm going to be Hokage one day, believe it!" a familiar voice suddenly cried out.

Turning to see where the voice had come from and praying he wasn't right Naruto spotted an exact copy of himself bouncing up and down on the railing of the bridge. The Genjutsu formed clone looked to be him in everyway, except he was wearing a bright orange jumpsuit and seemed to be on a sugar high.

"_I may like orange but that outfit is just downright stupid, it's like having a bullseye that's screaming for someone to kill you,"_ the Shugorei heir mentally noted.

"I'm going to be Hokage one day, believe it!" the fake repeated several times before suddenly being cracked in the head by another fake Naruto.

"No, I'm going to be Hokage…dattebayo!" the new arrival yelled as he began to bludgeon the first fake.

"_Yeah…I'm out of here,"_ the true Naruto thought as he concentrated his chakra and let it release in a large pulse.

Yelling 'Kai' the blue eyed Shugorei watched as the world about him swirled for a moment before righting itself and coming back to the bridge he and the rest of Team 7 had been meeting at.

"Good to see you back so soon Naruto," Kakashi stated with a hidden smile as he tucked his book away. "And you don't look the worse for wear."

"Kakashi-sensei," the blond began to say.

"Yeah," the jounin responded.

"I got to tell you, that there…was pretty fucked up," the whiskered genin remarked calmly as he leaned back against the railing of the bridge.

Staring at the boy in confusion Kakashi wondered what horror the boy had seen during his time in the Hell Viewing technique. Giving a shrug as his student seemed to be perfectly okay the jounin pulled his copy of Icha Icha Paradise out again and waited on the other two to break out as well.

* * *

The new Strategic ANBU Reserve and Replacement Operation had started out as a success beyond the hopes of its supporters. With a total of sixty-three trainees the first official group was near the expectations put forward by the Captain of the division, though the introduction to the new unit for many of the trainees had been a major wakeup that they weren't joining a more rigorous version of the Academy program. Sergeant Major Hiroto had made it abundantly clear with his tone, volume, and specific choice of words that he was going to make sure that each and every one of his new little trainees would experience their own personal hell in trying to make it to the end of the program.

Being roused at 0500 every morning for physical training that would have made Maito Gai proud the former Academy students and genin wannabes soon found the truth to the gruff Sergeant's words as they spent two and a half full hours running and doing every manner of pushup, sit-up, stretch, and aerobic exercise known to man. After the morning warm-up, as Hiroto liked to refer to it, the trainees were given a half hour to shower, dress, and be to the mess-hall for morning chow.

It had been a surprise for all of the young recruits when they found on the first morning that there weren't separate shower rooms for males and females. Amidst the protests and embarrassment of the towel clad recruits Hiroto had informed them all that private showers were a privilege that didn't exist in the field, somewhat funny since usually showers and bathes didn't exist at all in certain situations. With protests ringing in his ears the grizzled Sergeant major had quickly informed his new recruits that if they wanted to eat before the main part of the day commenced they would get over their childish reservations and shower 'cause filthy, smelly shinobi weren't allowed in for breakfast. The threat of no breakfast had been enough to prompt the hungry recruits to shed their inhibitions for the moment.

Now while many a person would have complained about boys and girls who were going into their teenage years showering together there was a very real reason for the decision. As Hiroto had gruffly said, privacy was often lacking in the field, making it so the ninja and kunoichi of a unit often saw each other nude from time to time. Considering that ANBU often had to go into situations that would be uncomfortable for most shinobi, something like a nude body was considered to be normal and a break from the absurdity that they regularly encountered. It had become an accepted part of the main ANBU divisions, so much so that all locker rooms and showers were unisex in their facilities. Of course jokes and taunts were traded between the members of the opposite sex, just as they would in any combat unit. However, should someone take something too far or ignore the unspoken rules of respect given amongst the ANBU that person often found themselves on the bad end of several dozen ninja and kunoichi before being tossed out of the division. Each division was like a family and harassing a brother or sister was not tolerated beyond a certain point. Oddly enough Mitarashi Anko had often acted the most prudish out of all the ANBU when she had been coming up the ranks, in fact the slightly crazed kunoichi had rarely let anyone see her without a thick towel wrapped around her body when she had used the locker rooms and showers during her younger days.

Following the quick showers the blushing recruits had dressed in their matching navy blue fatigues to hurriedly make it to breakfast before the mess-hall closed. While the cuisine wasn't anything one would find in a fancy restaurant and was doled out in a set amount per person many of the recruits had found it to be not as bad as they had feared. Indeed the food was actually good considering that the menu for every meal was designed around a precise calculation of calories needed to accomplish the work that would be required everyday.

With breakfast over the trainees soon found themselves engaged in close order drills under the watchful eyes of their individual training sergeants, whose task it was to instill a sense of discipline and precision into the new ANBU recruits. The rest of the day included similar drilling along with further physical training and skills training, though breaks were given periodically and the meals of lunch and dinner were provided. However, by the end of the day, 2100 hours, each recruit hit his or her cot with their muscles tired and sore. In fact most were asleep before the official lights out command came at 2230 hours.

Surprisingly not a single trainee had quit yet, despite the ordeal they were being put through. It seemed that the want to become a shinobi ruled the minds of the young trainees, at least for the moment considering training had only just begun.

One thing that had been a welcomed reprieve for all of the recruits was the fact that come the end of the week they were allowed extra downtime and only light training in the morning. For some this meant that they could rest and recuperate while studying the field manuals each was supposed to memorize. Others would spend the time enjoying the small bit of personal freedom granted to them in a myriad of different ways, from writing letters to reading books to talking and joking with their new comrades. For two particular trainees it was a chance to study things that had long been denied to them.

"You need to work on your approach when talking to people," Yori stated tiredly as he and his brother walked around the grounds of the training facility.

Giving his brother an odd look Sai remarked with a hint of confusion, "What do you mean?"

Stopping in his tracks the grayish-white haired boy exclaimed, "What do I mean, what do I mean?! You asked those guys if they had dicks!"

"Their performance in the sparring session showed a lack of aggressiveness, a trait that is often caused by a lack of testosterone which is produced by…," the dark haired boy tried to explain with his ever present smile.

"That doesn't matter!" the young 'Ne' operative yelled in interruption. "You can't say things like that!"

"My mouth, tongue, and vocal cords seem to be working well," the pale boy remarked with confusion. "I do not feel ill, so why would I not be able to speak?"

Hanging his head with a sigh Yori wondered, _"Is he really this dense or is he doing this on purpose just to vex me?"_

"Look, it's not polite to comment on people's anatomy like that," the grayish-white haired 'Ne' member stated tiredly.

Blinking slightly with puzzlement Sai responded, "But you told that one kunoichi that she had nice eyes, how is that any different? Eyes are an anatomical feature."

Pinching the bridge of his nose Yori felt his head throb with a bit of pain as he thought, _"He has to be doing this on purpose."_

Feeling a sudden sharp jab of pain in his head that cut through the dull throb of his headache the boy lurched slightly to the side. Reaching out with his free hand to feel the cool plaster of the building the two boys had been walking past the whitish haired boy leant against the wall in the effort to steady himself.

"Niisan!?" the dark haired ninja suddenly exclaimed seeing his brother stumble.

Reaching out to the white haired boy Sai watched as his concern was waved off.

"I'm…I'm fine, just a migraine," Yori apologized as he pushed off the wall. "Probably from everything that you keep putting me through."

Hearing the false bravado in his brother's voice Sai replied worriedly, "You've been complaining of headaches more and more Niisan, perhaps you should see the medics."

"Already did," the grayish-white haired 'Ne' member commented as he brought up a hand to rub his left temple. "They said it was most likely stress related and gave me some pills."

Watching as the other boy reached into his pocket and brought out a small plastic bottle, Sai stated firmly, "We should go back to the barracks."

"It's not that bad, besides I promised a few of the other recruits that I'd try to improve your social skills," Yori said with a chuckle as he slipped a small white pill into his mouth and swallowed. "If we came back so soon they'd think I'd reneged on the deal I made with them."

"Deal? What deal?" the dark haired boy asked as the two began to walk again.

Rubbing a finger against his cheek the white haired boy replied, "Well a few of them had the idea of teaching you manners the hard way, but I…."

"If they wish to fight me I don't see the problem," Sai interrupted calmly. "I am quite capable of defending myself."

"I know that, but you'd seriously injure them when we are supposed to be keeping a low profile," Yori noted as the two turned the corner of the building they had been walking next to. "Really I'm doing them two favors, but it is best for the unit."

"I understand," responded the pale, young operative, knowing that his brother had always played the peacemaker when the two had still been under the careful eye of their previous instructors.

"Good, now let's work a bit on how you should greet people," the other boy replied as he swung an arm over his brother's shoulder.

Spying the form of Sergeant Major Hiroto walking down the path towards them Yori suddenly perked up, saying, "Here, watch me and note how two people should greet each other."

Pulling his arm from his brother's shoulder and snapping a crisp salute to his superior the grayish-haired boy said, "Good day Jokyu Socho."

Walking straight past the two with barely a glance in their direction Hiroto spat out, "How the hell do you know what kind of goddamn day it is?"

Bringing his hand down from his salute as the old Sergeant went into the building the two boys had walked past Sai remarked, "Hmm, I was not aware of that type of greeting. I shall remember it Niisan."

Sighing as he hung his head once again Yori rubbed his face in frustration at how his task had just gotten more difficult.

* * *

The image of Clan Shugorei had always been one of strength, determination, and independence, from the days of the Empire long since past to the role the group had played in forming and safeguarding Konohagakure. However, following the attack of the Kyuubi no Youko just over twelve years ago that image had not only begun to falter but completely disintegrate. The once grand estate that the clan had held laid in ruins, the buildings reduced to mere remnants of their former glory. Where once the members of the clan had walked the streets of the village proudly only a single, old man remained to live out the remainder of his days in exile.

"_Or so we are led to believe,"_ Ayeka thought as she waited for her guest to arrive.

The old, auburn haired woman sat quietly on the small terrace at the back of her home, overlooking the spring flowers that were blooming in the garden. A small, glass topped table had been cleaned off and set in the preparation for a lunch that would be far from routine.

The small house was in many ways quaint, what with its soft earth tones and flower boxes. It had been home for her and Oda after they had left the Shugorei estate and had remained such for the last few years that they had together. When Bunji had returned to Konoha at her side Ayeka had offered the guestroom of her home to him, a room that Oda had personally maintained in the hope that his brother would one day return. Despite the kind offer and knowing that his brother had kept the room available for him Bunji had declined, finding a small apartment close to the Hokage Tower.

"_It was probably for the best,"_ the Shugorei Steward mused as she sipped at her tea and recalled the small argument that had arisen over the issue. _"Nearly every time I see him all I can think of is…."_

"Sorry I'm late," apologized the eye-patch wearing ANBU Captain as he appeared on the small deck. "I hope you haven't been waiting long."

"Not at all," the woman replied with a small, sad smile as she looked to the man who was the exact image of her late husband, if not for a few scars and the black piece of leather that covered his empty right eye socket. "Being the head of an entire division means quite the workload."

"I should have been warned about all the paperwork," Bunji remarked with a chuckle as he settled into the chair that had been set on the other side of the small table for him. "I hate being confined to a desk."

"Still wanting to run with the pack, eh Kyo Ken?" Ayeka asked, using the nickname that her teammate had been given more to remind her that he wasn't his brother than to recall days long past. "Don't you have subordinates for that now?"

"Hmmph, subordinates? Why don't you try bickering children?" the grey haired man said with a tired sigh as he ran a hand back over his tight crew cut. "Juro and Hiroto fight like a pair of tomcats perched on a fence at the back of an alley. They're fighting has nearly divided the other trainers into supporting camps…and it's only gotten worse since we got the last few recruits."

The secondary exams given by the jounin-sensei had netted the Strategic ANBU Reserve and Replacement Operation nearly the entire projection made a few weeks prior. With sixty-three trainees the entire division had been organized into seven squads of nine recruits each. While Bunji headed up the entire operation of the new division Juro and Hiroto oversaw the subordinate trainers that were in charge of the individual squads and the different areas where training would take place. Unfortunately the two men differed in their approaches dramatically, something that was part generational gap, part individual preference, and all a problem for Bunji.

"I'm sure Hiroto-san just wants to make sure that the job is done right," Ayeka commented, having met the man several times back when he had been the sergeant in charge of the ANBU squad Shinji had belonged to.

Truth be told, the Shugorei Steward, if she had been asked to weigh in on the situation, would have sided with the grizzled Sergeant Major. Hiroto had been the man who had brought her son back to her after the squad had been listed as MIA, presumably KIA, during the war. The toughened ANBU veteran had slogged through several miles with Shinji on his back to make it to friendly territory after the unit had been decimated by an Iwa-nin ambush. It had been because of his commitment to his men that her son had only lost the lower part of his left leg and not his life.

"I trust Hiroto implicitly," Bunji remarked as he took a napkin and laid it across his lap. "His methods of training are hard, but they're the most open for adapting to the principals I hope to instill in this new generation of ANBU. I've always know him to be honest and loyal enough to do what is necessary to keep Konoha alive. Juro on the other hand…he's almost a walking contradiction at times."

Pausing for a moment and weighing his words carefully the man spoke, "There is an old fable about a dog, a scorpion, and a river. In it a scorpion and a dog meet by a river. The scorpion asks the dog to help him cross the river by sitting on the dog's head as he swims. At first the dog refuses saying that the scorpion will sting and kill him should he agree. The scorpion reassures the dog that he wouldn't do such a thing as it would mean the death of them both amidst the current of the river. This argument sways the dog and the two set across the river, the dog swimming and the scorpion riding on his head. Halfway across the river the scorpion suddenly stings the dog. Feeling the sting as the current takes them the dog asks why the scorpion did such a thing as now they both will die. The scorpion simply replies that he is a scorpion and it is in his nature."

Resting his hands on the table Bunji finished carefully, "Whenever I look at Juro I am reminded of that story. Not necessarily a good omen for this old dog, eh?"

Hearing the man's words Ayeka leaned back into the chair she sat in, pushing her fingers together in a steeple.

"Is this part of your instinct?" the auburn haired woman asked with a contemplating look.

Combat hardened shinobi often developed what could be called a sixth sense when it came to danger.

"I don't know," Bunji replied slowly. "I did my homework on Juro when he was recommended to me by Hokage-sama and have done follow up work since then. The man is clean, a good shinobi with what you would expect for a combat and mission record. He's never seemed interested in the political atmosphere that usually comes with climbing up the ranks and seems to be on no one's shit list, other than Hiroto that is."

"Well it could be he's just as he appears, an average ANBU that is keeping his head down and doing his job," remarked Ayeka calmly before her voice took on a more guarded quality. "Or there could be something wrong with him. What was it sensei always liked to say? Takara adopted it as her personal credo."

"The absence of proof is not necessarily the proof of absence," the ANBU Captain quoted from memory as a small grin formed on his face. "But if I recall we always joked about the two of them being too paranoid at times for their own good."

Raising a glass of tea to her lips the old woman softly supplied, "Indeed, but that healthy dose of paranoia kept us alive through some rough times."

Giving a small nod the eye patch wearing man leaned forward to uncover the dishes that had been prepared for lunch. Pulling the top off a rather large bowl the old man's mouth turned down in a deep scowl.

"Salad? You know I hate salad," the grey haired ANBU remarked frostily as he pitted his sister-in-law with a one eyed gaze.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Ayeka retorted firmly. "You could use a healthy meal considering that you still eat and drink like you did when you were in your prime."

"Prime? I'll have you know that I consider myself to have barely reached my peak yet," Bunji fired back. "My eating habits are…urk!"

Anything the man had to say further on the subject was cut off as a forkful of leafy green vegetables was shoved into his mouth.

"You almost sound like a petulant child yourself," the Shugorei Steward commented as she pulled her hand and fork back to begin placing some of the tossed greens on her plate.

Grumbling lightly to himself the man often called 'Mad Dog' by enemy and friend alike placed a similar pile on his own plate. It wasn't that he was conceding the matter; no it was merely humoring his former teammate, especially considering he had a splendid little refrigerator in his office with a hunk of nicely salted pork waiting for him.

"So…what's been happening with you?" Bunji asked as he picked at a piece of lettuce.

"Oh you know, the same old council meetings debating over issues that should have long been put away," Ayeka remarked slowly. "However, there has been an interesting development…regarding the heir."

The issue of an heir to Clan Shugorei had become something of a personal crusade that the auburn haired woman had developed. Bunji still wasn't completely convinced on the whole issue, but there were too many coincidences at times to ignore the issue.

Setting his fork down the grey haired Captain asked, "What do you think you've found now?"

"Two things," answered the woman as she set down her own utensil. "First, I received a new order from Jinjiro-sama at the beginning of the week. He wants me to oversee the purchasing of a large quantity of materials that aren't already in the control of Clan Shugorei."

Pushing a small scroll, that had been pulled from her kimono sleeve, across the table Ayeka added, "I'm no engineer but many of these materials strike me as being what one would find in large buildings and structures."

Taking the proffered scroll and unfurling it Bunji let his remaining eye scan the contents.

Letting a small whistle escape his lips the ANBU Captain remarked, "This is quite the list…if you add this to the materials that the clan controls through its ownership of several businesses and its standing amongst some of the guilds…it's definitely for building something large."

"Isn't this the proof we need?" the Shugorei Steward implored with a pleading hope in her tone. "The fact that this comes after Jinjiro-sama reviewed the list of architects, engineers, and contractors I sent him could only mean…."

"I'd be happier if he had actually told us who will be undertaking the task of doing the actual construction," the one eyed grey haired man interrupted. "This will be a massive undertaking, not to mention that much of what is to be built will need to be kept secret. Jinjiro has always been secretive and firm in guarding what others aren't meant to see, he wouldn't want to start something like this unless he had carefully vetted every choice presented him."

"But you'll agree that this definitely confirms the suspicion that the compound is to be rebuilt," stated the auburn haired Steward.

"It's definitely something," the man remarked calmly as he rolled the scroll back up. "What's the other thing you've discovered?"

"I think I finally have proof of the heir actually being in Konoha," Ayeka said with a guarded smile. "In fact it looks like he or she came to the shop and…."

"You mean to say that Jia and Shinji may have actually come into contact with…," interrupted Bunji in surprise as his eye widened. "Who is it?"

"I'm not sure," the Steward remarked with a sigh. "Jia is being tight lipped as ever about her customers and Shinji is…."

"Shinji is trying to placate his wife and avoid angering her," Bunji finished with a chuckle, knowing that his nephew's wife didn't use her hands just for beating lumps of steel and iron. "I sometimes truly wonder how they actually produced two children considering how in love she is with her forge. You don't suppose Tenten and Toji are actually pieces of metal that Jia formed and somehow make move and talk?"

Rolling her eyes at the attempt of humor by her brother-in-law Ayeka did allow a small grin to flash across her face. It was true that Jia was a hard and tough woman; she had to be considering she had inherited a trade that was normally more dominated by men than even the shinobi community. However, despite her roughness at times the well muscled woman was a wonderful, loving mother…and may Kami have mercy on the person who tried to harm her children because Jia surely wouldn't.

"How can you be sure that the heir was at the shop," the gruff ANBU asked as his laughter at his own joke died away.

"How many people do you know who would pay for something with a gold ingot?" Ayeka asked rhetorically considering that it was nearly unheard of for anyone to use anything other than paper currency. "I didn't get a chance to inspect it for markings, but you and I both know that only the major clans and those with close connections to the Daimyo still have access to something like that."

Leaning back into his chair and rubbing his chin in thought Bunji inquired, "What was it being used to purchase?"

"I don't know," the Shugorei Steward said with a sigh. "As I told you before, Jia and Shinji are being tight lipped about it. I was able to get out of Tenten during training yesterday that the shop has had a few major custom jobs come in, but that's all she was able to say before Jia interrupted us."

"If we don't know what was being purchased then…," the short haired man began to say before he was interrupted.

"While I can't be exactly sure what it is being used for, I would bet even money that it has something to do with this," Ayeka noted as she put a small cloth bundle on the table.

"What's this?" the eye-patch wearing ANBU asked as he began to unwrap the bundle, only for his eye to widen in shock as he removed the final layer of cloth. "Where…where did you…?"

Seeing her teammate pull the piece of metal from the cloth Ayeka knew he recognized what it was, the rusted remains of a shoulder guard. However, this particular shoulder guard was far different from what one would normally see in terms of armor worn in the Elemental Countries. The guard was a single piece of rounded metal, unlike the segmented shoulder flaps that were often seen guarding the shoulders and upper arms of a samurai. The piece looked like a rust colored shell except for where a small bit of black paint remained embedded.

"I was quite the kunoichi when I was younger, or had you forgotten?" the auburn haired woman remarked with a smirk that was close to one she had habitually worn during days long past. "Jia may have locked up that gold bar in a safe I can't crack, but she left that and the other pieces of the armor out on a workbench."

"She's going to notice that it's missing," Bunji stated critically.

"No she won't," the woman regarded with her smirk still present. "I placed something Takara gave me into her coffee this morning. My dear daughter-in-law is going to experiencing cramps and bloating so bad that she'll wish it was just her period kicking in."

Shivering slightly the grey haired man shut his only eye. It wasn't that he was shocked that Ayeka would actually go so far as to slip something to someone in her own family. No, the truth was that like most men he had no desire to hear about a particular biological function that women experienced for a couple of days every month. It was especially disturbing to hear it from his former teammate and sister-in-law, not to mention it was regarding the wife of his nephew.

"I'll return it with days to spare," the old woman remarked. "But enough about that, this is what I think it is, right?

Tracing his fingers over something he had seen and touched numerous times before he had gone into self-imposed exile Bunji nodded.

"If this isn't Shugorei armor then it is the best copy I've ever seen," the one eyed man commented as he grasped the piece firmly. "The rounded design and the fact that it's so light, but still incredibly strong despite being as corroded as it is leave little doubt. Few would ever go to the trouble and expense of developing a piece of armor like this, few other than the Shugorei."

"I had my suspicions, but wanted you to confirm them," Ayeka supplied as she watched her friend turn the piece over in his hands several times. "I may be able to accept that the gold isn't necessarily connected to it, but the fact remains that there is a set of Shugorei armor waiting to be repaired by members of my family. Armor of the like that hasn't been seen in years."

Setting the shoulder guard back down onto the cloth that had concealed it Bunji sat back heavily into his chair, interlacing his fingers together before his mouth as he rested his elbows on the chair's armrests.

"Do you think that the heir left the armor with Jia and Shinji on purpose? They're two of the best armorers and weapons smiths out there, but Konoha has plenty of others. Could it be that the heir is trying to make subtle contact? Perhaps he or she is checking on those connected to us before deciding to approach us," the Shugorei Steward offered before suddenly catching the tense silence that had befallen the person she had shared so much with. "Bunji…what's the matter? Is something wrong, Bunji?"

"Part of me was hoping that we would be proven wrong, that no heir existed," the man said as his remaining amber eye flashed slightly in the sunlight. "There's…there's something I didn't tell you, something I should have come to you about after it was announced."

Feeling apprehension creep into her heart the auburn haired woman slowly asked, "What is it, what should I know?"

"Do you remember the report that was presented to the council regarding Tsubasa's death?" responded the ANBU Captain as he looked into the eyes of his teammate.

"Ye…yes, he was brutally murdered," Ayeka recalled hesitantly. "It was theorized that it was because he crossed some of the criminals that he was dealing with. Why do you ask?"

"The report was lacking in several key details, details that we kept quiet incase another murder occurred," Bunji said in a serious voice. "One was that a silver coin had been lodged between his teeth and traitor had been carved not only into the flesh of his head, but also into bone of the skull. I gave a few possible explanations for it to the Hokage and other Captains, but…but I left out a major one."

"What did you do Bunji?" the woman worriedly inquired.

"When Oda and I were brought to begin our service to Clan Shugorei we were made to learn a great deal about the culture and history that had occurred around the clan. One particular detail was about how the clan acted not only as the elite force of the Empire but also the personal enforcers of the Imperial Throne," the ANBU Captain supplied firmly. "When I saw Tsubasa's head and the coin it was as if I was looking at some of the old scrolls that Oda and I studied, scrolls that depicted how traitors to the realm were displayed after being tortured and executed."

"You're…you're saying that the heir was responsible," Ayeka stated as she felt her mouth go dry recalling the horror that had been depicted in the report.

"Unless Jinjiro returned to do it himself," the man said as he dragged a hand through his short, grey hair. "The scrolls I studied were old…far older and in better condition than anything any museum or library has. It's possible that a few scraps of paper might exist with some information, but I doubt it's enough for someone to make such an exact replica. No, it would have to be someone who had extensive knowledge about Shugorei history."

"Jinjiro-sama or the heir," the auburn haired Steward remarked quietly before her eyes suddenly opened wide as another option presented itself. "Bunji, what about, you know…him?"

His mouth already a firm line Bunji felt the corners turn down as a scowl formed at the memory.

"He was banished and his abilities sealed. Besides, while this was brutal, he wouldn't have bothered to waste so much effort," the single amber eyed man noted firmly. "He's a sociopathic bastard, but this doesn't fit his style."

"Tsubasa was the Uchiha Steward, Bunji. The man was privy to secrets of both Konoha and a clan that has one of the most coveted Doujutsu, I don't think we can dismiss the possibility so quickly," Ayeka countered, her voice steely. "We need to alert Hokage-sama, we need to…. No, no…we can't. We can't let this get out. We have to bury this Bunji."

"Ayeka if it was the heir then he or she is facing criminal charges," Bunji noted seriously as he saw his sister-in-law beginning to get hysterical. "This could be dangerous, not only for us but also your children and grandchildren."

"What about our duty to the clan, to Oda!" the auburn haired woman exclaimed as tears poured forth from her eyes. "This will destroy our chance, all of our work…ermmph!"

The Steward's protest was cut off as a large, tan hand covered her mouth. Holding his hand over the muffled words of his sister-in-law Bunji let his remaining eye glance quickly about the backyard as he stretched his sense out to make sure that nothing had been disturbed by the sudden outburst.

"I understand that," the ANBU Captain whispered harshly. "I'm not saying to go immediately to the Hokage. Tsubasa was a criminal and traitor from the evidence that was gathered, if the heir did have a role in all of this then perhaps there was a good reason for it."

Carefully removing his hand the gruff man continued, "We first need to find the heir and then we need to find out the truth about that night. It could be that he or she wasn't involved and it was Jinjiro or…. Whatever the case is we need to find out the truth before we decide to do anything further."

Breathing heavily Ayeka nodded before saying, "You're…you're right. I'm sorry, I…I panicked."

Hearing the apology from his one of his oldest and closest friends Bunji waved off the concern. Leaning over the table he silently rewrapped the metal shoulder guard in the cloth that concealed it.

"Right now we are mixing facts with speculation," the man said as he pushed the small bundle back towards his sister-in-law. "Let's leave the matter, it'll be better to think about it after we have more information."

Stabbing a small pile of greens with his fork and then placing them into his mouth Bunji returned to one of the main reasons he had come, lunch,

Chewing and swallowing the amber eyed Captain said with a sickly smile, "This rabbit food ain't too bad."

Hearing the little white lie Ayeka began to laugh.

"You're just as bad as Jia sometimes," the Shugorei Steward remarked as her laughter died down to a few giggles. "She was trying to tell Shinji that she wasn't going to try and fix Tenten up anymore, but it was so obvious that she had other plans."

Chuckling at the reminder of how his nephew's wife liked to meddle, Bunji asked, "So who's the unlucky boy this time?"

"She thinks that Uzumaki Naruto of all people is a perfect match for Tenten," the auburn haired old woman replied. "She's been dropping hints around Tenten ever since…."

Taking the trailing off of his friend as an indication of something unpleasant the ANBU Captain commented, "Oh come on Ayeka, I thought you would be above such…."

"How did I not notice it earlier!" the woman suddenly yelled in interruption. "I'm so stupid!"

Unsure what his former teammate was suddenly prattling on about Bunji said, "Um, what are you talking about?"

"Uzumaki, he was in the shop and left just before I saw the gold," Ayeka supplied as her remained wide.

"Uzumaki? You think he could be the heir just because he happened to be in the shop at the same time the ingot was there," the gruff man stated in disbelief as he quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry to say this, but that's quite the leap in logic you've just taken. That bar could have been there well before Uzumaki ever…."

"No," the Shugorei Steward contradicted. "When I got there Shinji was minding the front and Jia had Naruto in the back going over specifics on a _special project_. I didn't pick up on it at first, but Shinji was agitated over something. I thought it was because of Jia, but what if that was only part of it? Jia and Shinji would both recognize the armor, but Jia often lets her heart overrule her head when it comes to her love for her trade. Shinji would definitely be wondering about where a set of Shugorei armor came from and how Uzumaki would be in possession of it."

"I don't know…that seems pretty thin to me," Bunji remarked as he rubbed his chin with his right hand. "You can't place ownership of either the armor or the gold on Uzumaki."

"But he was also wearing a sword on his back when I saw him," added the auburn haired Steward excitedly.

"A sword on his back? Ayeka, are you even listening to yourself? Plenty of shinobi use or at least own a sword," the short haired ANBU countered. "Uzumaki is a good kid and the Hokage favors him, but everything you just pointed out is at the very best circumstantial. Hell, Gekkou Hayate uses Jia's shop because of the custom sword she made for him as do several other high level shinobi who like to bladed weapons and unique armor. Uzumaki could just be another person to add to that list."

"What about that gold ingot? How else could Uzumaki get his hands on it?" the Shugorei representative insisted.

"You can't prove that he has any connection to it other than happening to be in the same place as it. Plenty of other customers probably were in the shop before that, but because you didn't see them there you dismiss them," the man argued tiredly as he rubbed his short grey hair. "Besides Jinjiro is too much of a bastard to ever accept a jinchuuriki as a member of the Shugorei, he'd have killed the kid himself to make sure the clan wasn't tainted. The man butchered enough innocents, he'd have little problem killing a relative if given the chance."

"You're always harping on how horrible Jinjiro-sama is, but he's a good man," Ayeka argued as she slapped her hands on the table and sent a piercing gaze to her former teammate. "He gave you so many opportunities and yet you refuse to see anything but the worst in him now."

"That's because he was and still is an arrogant, murderous bastard!" yelled the ANBU Captain firmly. "Both Oda and I saw the truth to him, that man would never tolerate even the slightest hint of imperfection. He didn't so much train Kushina-sama as he beat the lessons into her! She did everything she could to please that relic of a bygone era, but he still had the gall to protest when she fell in love with Namikaze Minato! If the man could barely stand that, what makes you think he could stand seeing one of his _proud_Shugorei turned into a vessel for a demon?"

"You're letting your own personal quarrel with Jinjiro-sama cloud your judgment!" the councilwoman retorted resolutely. "Do you think yourself a saint in comparison? You've killed and hurt people just as he has, but at least he doesn't try to hold the pretense of being a self-righteous ass!"

Staring at his sister-in-law with his remaining eye Bunji growled, "If Oda was here he would…."

"He'd still be here if you hadn't left!" the auburn haired Steward shouted suddenly.

"What did you say?" the one eyed Captain asked coldly.

Her anger still simmering the Shugorei Steward had tears dripping from her eyes as she spat, "It was your fault Bunji, Oda spent the last few years of his life always wondering about where you were, what you were doing, if you were alright. It ate away at him everyday, but you were too damn proud to relinquish your feud with an old man and be concerned about a brother you claimed to love. You…!"

'Crash!'

Having stood abruptly the old ANBU Captain demonstrated his anger and his temper by flipping the small table the two had been sitting at over. Standing there with an aura of rage surrounding him the grey haired man did not take notice of the fact his action had shattered the glass top of the table and broken the stoneware dishes that had been set out for the lunch.

"Bunji!" Ayeka exclaimed in shock as she pushed out of her chair. "What on earth are you…?!"

"Shut up, just shut the hell up!" the angered man yelled as his amber eye blazed with fury. "Don't you ever say that I didn't care about Oda! Don't you ever…!"

"If you cared so much why was it that you didn't return home when he begged you to in his letters?" the old auburn haired woman asked her brother-in-law callously. "I was here Bunji, you weren't. I saw what your absence did to him, saw how he…."

"I said Shut Up!" Bunji yelled, stepping forward and drawing his hand back to deliver a slap before catching himself.

Looking into the teary eyes of his brother's wife the man let his hand fall to his side limply. Turning on his heel before disappearing in a leap that would take him back to his office the ANBU Captain retreated for one of the few times in his life, unable to face the accusations that had been leveled at him. As he leapt across trees and rooftops the old man missed how the woman his twin had married collapsed in a heap of tears and sobs.

* * *

"This is mobile one. I see the target," Uchiha Sasuke whispered as the microphone strapped to his throat picked up the sound as easily as if he had yelled.

"I copy that mobile one, can identity be confirmed?" Hatake Kakashi replied in the earpiece of the dark haired genin.

"Mobile two here, ribbon on the ear confirms target's identity." Sakura reported from where she was stationed just ahead and to the left of her teammate.

"Very well," the voice of the grey haired jounin replied. "Mobile three, execute!"

Dropping down from the branches of the tree above the target Shugorei Naruto pointed made a single seal with his left hand and pointed with his right as he called forth, "Sai!"

Sitting calmly against a tree Kakashi listened to the static in his earpiece as he flipped another page of his little orange book. Giggling slightly the man immediately perked up as voices came through.

"Naruto! Why did you paralyze poor Tora, he's just a cute little kitty?!" protested Sakura

Holding the brown cat with its distinct, red ribbon by the scruff of the neck and as far away from his body as possible the blue eyed genin gave the teammate an incredulous look.

"Cute little kitty? This thing tried to claw our eyes out on three separate occasions already!" the Shugorei heir countered firmly. "If you feel so bad for him then I'll release my jutsu and you can hold him!"

Thrusting the mewing, paralyzed cat out to the pink haired girl Naruto let a small smirk form as he watched the girl take several steps back and raise her hands to ward off the furry devil. Even Sasuke was keeping a relatively safe distance as each of the genin had gotten a nasty set of scratches from the berserk feline when trying to apprehend it previously.

"Um, team?" Kakashi spoke over the radio trying to gain the three adolescents' attention. "Do you think we can hurry this along? I'd like to get back to the Mission Hall sometime before lunch today."

Catching a few grumbles across the radio frequency at his request the grey haired jounin simply stood up and began to read his book as he began to walk slowly to where he would meet the three genin before returning to the mission hall. Truly being a jounin-sensei was a blessing sometimes.

It had been nearly a week and a half since he had taught his three students how to break out of Genjutsu. All three had picked up the skill relatively well. Naruto still hadn't revealed what exactly it was he had seen when placed in the Narakumi no Jutsu and since the boy always developed a small twitch of annoyance when asked Kakashi had let the subject drop. Both Sakura and Sasuke had made steady progress in defeating the technique as well, now able to do so in a few seconds rather than the fifteen to twenty minutes it had nearly taken them when first exposed to the jutsu during the trial for the bells. Sakura had even proven to be surprisingly more adept then either of her male teammates when the difficulty level had moved up to mid and high C-rank Genjutsu, most likely due to the fact that she had the best chakra control of the three.

"_But she also has the smallest chakra reserves of the three as well,"_ the jounin noted as he moved to lean against the wall of a building opposite from where Team 7 had been searching for their target. _"I'm going to have to do something about that, especially when it comes time to teach them all some Ninjutsu. Sasuke also needs to…."_

"Hey sensei, catch!" the voice of a familiar blond shouted, breaking the concentration of the book reading man.

Glancing up from his book Kakashi's eye widened in horror as a berserk ball of brown fur, teeth, and claws came flying towards his head.

"Holy Shit!" the mask wearing jounin exclaimed as he quickly ducked to avoid an enraged Tora.

Holding one hand over his head to ward off the crazed feline while the other protectively cradled his precious novel to his chest Kakashi suddenly realized that he did not hear the screeching and spitting that should have came with the furry missile. Looking over to where the cat should have landed the grey haired man's eye widened further in shock as what appeared to be the insane pet poofed away to reveal a rock.

Laughing hysterically at seeing the elite jounin duck and cover in the face of the perceived threat Naruto held up a still paralyzed Tora. Standing on either side of the whiskered boy both Sasuke and Sakura were reveling at the trick in their own particular ways. Sasuke was of course trying to keep his calm and cool appearance by letting out a short grunt, though a hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. Berating her blond teammate over the small prank Sakura internally was cheering and wishing that she had been the one to come up with the idea.

"Gee, Kakashi-_sensei_," Naruto remarked with a bit of sarcasm. "You wouldn't be afraid of little ol' Tora here, would you?"

His eye narrowing at having been tricked Kakashi took his free hand formed a small release seal before calmly saying, "Kai."

As the word escaped the jounin's mouth Naruto's blue eyes widened in panic as he suddenly felt the small bit of chakra he had been using to keep the crazed pet from moving dissipate. Before the boy could form the jutsu again a berserk Tora reeled its head around to bit down hard upon the hand that was still holding it by the scruff.

"Yeeow!" the cerulean eyed Shugorei yelped as he felt the needle like teeth sink into the soft flesh of his right hand.

"You should be more attentive of your jutsu Naruto," the languid jounin said calmly as he watched his student suddenly get attacked. "They can come undone if you're not careful."

"Get this thing off me!" the whiskered genin shouted as his arm, with Tora firmly attached, flailed about. "Sakura, Sasuke…stop this crazy thing!"

Unfortunately for the young genin both of his teammates had jumped back to a safe distance as their teacher gave a small chuckle.

* * *

God was he tired, tired and sore. All of his muscles ached in protest as he turned the corner of a building and continued walking towards his destination. It wasn't that odd of a situation for him to feel this way, especially considering he had been a front-line shinobi for most of forty-seven years, but never had he felt such a way after merely leading a series of exercises.

"_Scratch that, almost a full week and a half of training that I normally wouldn't even subject full ANBU to is hardly just a series of exercises,"_ Sergeant Major Hiroto grumbled as he continued walking. _"What the hell is Bunji-taicho thinking?"_

Hiroto had nothing but respect for the his Captain, who he considered to be a superb shinobi as well as a man of principle, even going so far as to say he was one of the few people he would count as a friend. However, as of late the older man had been acting in a dangerous manner.

"_He's perfectly fine one morning then goes to lunch and returns pissed to hell and back," _the ANBU trainer thought as he rubbed at the stubble along his jaw line._"I'm all for rigorous training, but this is like institutionalized torture."_

Hit by the irony that he, the ANBU trainer most feared for his tough training standards, was actually concerned by the difficult path that had now been laid out before his charges Hiroto let out a sad laugh as he fished into the supply pouch at the small of his back. Pulling out dark brown cigar the grizzled shinobi simply bit off the end and spat it out before channeling some chakra to his finger tips to set the fine tobacco a smoldering.

Taking a long draw on the cigar the Sergeant Major let out a content sigh as he tasted the sweet, acrid smoke. Holding it in for a moment to savor the feeling the man released twin clouds of smoke from his nose as he rounded another turn. However, what should have been a controlled release almost turned into a fit of coughing as the gruff man nearly ran into two people that were also coming around the corner.

"Jokyu Socho Hiroto-sama!" Sai quickly exclaimed as he threw up his right hand in a salute, his brother mimicking him perfectly.

Hearing the address Hiroto looked down to see the two recruits and silently thought, _"What the hell do these two want?"_

It seemed since he had run into the pair a while ago they were constantly popping up around him whenever they had some down time, something that was increasingly surprising since such down time was now all but a fond memory for the recruits since Bunji had ordered the increase in the training regimen.

"Lovely weather we're having today sir," Yori remarked holding his salute as the warm spring breeze blew past.

Fighting down the urge to strangle the pair Hiroto pushed past the two commenting gruffly, "What are you now, the fucking weather man?"

Clenching his cigar in his teeth as he opened the door of the building he had been seeking the old Sergeant couldn't help but feel there was something incredibly odd about those two recruits.

"_Them and several others,"_ Hiroto silently noted as he made his way towards the door of an office he was quite familiar with.

Knocking on the door before entering the Sergeant Major of the Strategic ANBU Reserve and Replacement Division silently moved to take the open chair left for him by the other two people in the room.

"Thank you for joining us Sergeant Major," Bunji said calmly as he sat behind his paper strewn desk. "_Fukutaicho_ Juro was just informing me about how we are being too hard on the recruits. What's your take on the situation?"

Letting out a sigh Hiroto pulled his cigar from his mouth and tapped it over the small ash tray that was next to his chair. Something about the young lieutenant rubbed him the wrong way, but displaying his dislike for the man would not be helpful right now, especially since their Captain had already expressed a keen displeasure over the feuding.

"I hate to say it sir, but I have to agree with the Lieutenant. I just came from the infirmary and we now have nine recruits down because of serious injury," the gruff man responded as he closed his tired eyes and recalled what he had seen. "The doc says that all of them can't be released for at least two weeks and then they'll still be limited to light training for another week."

"That's almost an entire month of lost time," the ANBU Captain growled in annoyance. "Tell the doctor that if those recruits aren't ready for full training by the end of next week then I want them gone. There'll be no easy rides here."

"But sir," Juro protested. "You established the regulations for the entire program and in them you gave leniency for training injuries. How can we…?"

"Well I'm changing some of them," the eye patch wearing shinobi interrupted authoritatively.

"Sir, if I might," Hiroto interjected quietly. "We've already lost a dozen recruits in the last few days. This is inline with the projections that were put together for how training would weed out the unfit, but I have to say that I think we may soon see that number increase exponentially. Only three hours of sleep a night, cutting down chow time to the bare minimum, three fifteen mile runs a day, carrying full combat packs on those runs, wearing those full packs when going through the increased pt's that are done before each run, finishing each with a time trial over the main obstacle course, and almost zero time for actual skills training. I'm all for good physical training, but these kids need to start learning the skills that are going to keep them alive, skills we started teaching them and have had to put on the back burner for this new training regimen."

"What the Sergeant Major isn't saying is that we don't even subject adult ANBU recruits to this constant method of training. A couple of Hell days may be good, but we can't make it an everyday thing," Juro supplied as he folded his arms over his chest. "Hell, I'm surprised we haven't had more medical injuries…let alone any recruits left. We can't just…."

"They are here to become ANBU!" Bunji yelled as he abruptly stood and slammed his hands down onto his desk with a might 'smack'. "If you can't handle the responsibility then you are free to resign your commission _Fukutaicho_!"

Giving the young ANBU a spiteful glance with his one eye Bunji added darkly, "That will be all for today, you're dismissed."

Standing and giving a smart salute Juro did a perfect about-face and walked to the door. As he opened and shut the heavy wooden panel no on noticed the malevolent smirk that rode upon his face or the small glint in his eyes as he furthered his deception.

Slumping back down into his chair to hold his head Bunji let out a tired sigh. Catching the sound of an exhale and smelling tobacco smoke the Captain rotated his eye just enough to see that Hiroto was still sitting calmly.

"When I said, 'dismissed', I meant you as well _Jokyu Socho_," the elder shinobi jadedly remarked.

Puffing on his cigar Hiroto responded, "I know, but I won't hold it against you. Now, I don't know what's going on with you personally that has caused all of this, but whatever it is you need to stop letting it bleed over into your work. I've trained quite the number of ANBU and I can expertly say that you are killing these kids."

"You are coming dangerously close to insubordination," Bunji growled.

"Won't be the first time," the grizzled Sergeant replied calmly. "Anyways, the recruits need a break and they need it now or else this program is going to die before it even comes close to bearing fruit."

Derisively snorting the one eyed ANBU remarked, "If they want to be ANBU then they'll learn to deal with a little pain and anguish."

"That's just the thing; this isn't just a little pain and anguish," Hiroto stated firmly as he stared across to his superior officer. "If I didn't know you better I'd almost say you were taking things directly from the old 'Ne' handbook, what with all the attempts at breaking the will and identity of these kids…and that's saying something coming from me."

Indeed it was considering that the grizzled ANBU trainer had always been a supporter of the idea that in order to make the best ANBU one needed to break down a recruit and then build him or her back up. Usually this was done by making the recruit focus as part of a team, but in the darker days of 'Ne' it had been done by brutally beating and torturing the child recruits before subjecting them to propaganda that was designed to instill into them a sense that they as an individual were worthless unless they were diligently serving Konoha. Hiroto was a hard man, but even he knew that there were certain moral and ethical lines that one didn't cross if they still wished to call themselves human.

A sharp barb hung on Bunji's tongue as he prepared to reprimand his subordinate, but it died as his mind realized the implications that had been thrown at him. He had always tried to be a man of principal, disapproving of some of the more questionable methods that many shinobi preferred, favoring the ideals put forward by the Sandaime Hokage that had given Konoha the basis for a certain moral superiority over its peers. The 'Ne' program had always been high on his list of hated things and to hear a man in whom he held trust and respect compare his actions to the barbarism that the old operation had inflicted, well it was cause for alarm.

"_Was Ayeka right? Am I being hypocritical, especially now?"_ the old Captain wondered silently.

Standing up the Sergeant Major walked over to the small liquor cabinet that was hugging the right wall of the room. Opening it the man began to peruse the variety of liquors that his commander favored, pleased to see that the elder man hadn't lost his taste.

"Hiroto, do you find it difficult sometimes…carrying out your duties?" Bunji inquired as he leaned back into his chair farther and let his eye gaze at the ceiling.

Having fished out two crystal glasses and a bottle of scotch that came from the highlands in the Country of Lightning the Sergeant Major seemed to pause in thought at the question posed to him.

"Sometimes I do what I want to do," Hiroto answered slowly as he poured out some of the amber liquor into each glass. "The rest of the time I do what I have to."

Cutting the scotch with a splash of water in each glass the grizzled ANBU walked over to the chair he had been occupying. Setting one of the glasses on the desk in front of his commander the white haired Sergeant sat down.

Raising the glass slightly in a small toast the hard man said with a recollecting tone, "Dancho Canyon and Hatake Sakumo."

"Dancho Canyon and Hatake Sakumo," Bunji said quietly in return as he picked up his own glass.

Taking a quick swig both men felt the burn of the alcohol and the small warmth it created in their bellies as they remembered one of the more desperate situations they had ever faced.

Setting his glass down and fingering it's the lip of its mouth the grey haired ANBU Captain quietly remarked, "I did something stupid a while back and it seems I've been compounding that error over the years."

Remaining silent Hiroto took a long draw on his cigar before exhaling as he brought his glass back to his lips.

"I chose to run instead of face it," the one eyed shinobi continued as the amber color of his eye seemed to dull slightly. "Unfortunately I wasn't the one to suffer the most because of it…. I'm a coward."

"You're one of the bravest persons I've ever met and a commander I have ever been proud to serve under," Hiroto lightly contradicted. "In many ways we as shinobi are like the blades we use. We become drenched in blood from the killing and chipped from the fighting…and from time to time we need the comfort and quiet that comes with being placed back into the scabbard. Using that time to heal may hurt others, but without it we would break…causing far more harm and not necessarily to ourselves."

"Studying philosophy now?" the amber eyed Captain asked quietly.

Giving a short, sharp laugh the grizzled ANBU Sergeant answered, "I've already memorized all of the Field Manuals."

Tapping his fingers against his glass Bunji carefully spoke, "Let the recruits have the next two days off to rest and recover. After that have them start learning skills, take the physical training back to only being at the necessary level. Also, have Juro report back here before the end of the day…I owe him an apology."

Tossing back the rest of his drink Hiroto stood and saluted.

Watching the Sergeant leave the office Bunji took a sip of his own drink as he thought on all that he had done and all that he should do. First on that list was to apologize to Ayeka, something he had never been comfortably doing no matter who the person was. Finishing his drink the eye patch wearing Captain reached down to one of the lower drawers on his desk. Rifling through the files the man got to the last one and pulled it out.

"Ayeka thinks you're it, so let's see if she's right," the gruff old Captain whispered to himself as he opened the dossier. "She's rarely ever been wrong, even in our genin days."

Reading through the classified ANBU file on Uzumaki Naruto, a file that held information that was only surpassed by the personal records of the Hokage, Bunji began to comb through each of the details within. If he was going to apologize to one of his oldest friends and the woman his brother had loved he better address her concerns, even if they were as improbable as they seemed.

* * *

"You guys suck, you totally suck," complained a scratched up Naruto as Team 7 walked down a hallway in the Hokage Tower.

"Well you shouldn't have paralyzed Tora like that," Sakura remarked as she pet the purring cat.

After finally getting the psychotic feline to let go of his hand the young Shugorei had not faired to well as the small beast attacked him with its sharp little claws. Normally he would have elected to simply blast the thing and leave the remains to be discovered by someone else, but Kakashi had insistently reminded him that the mission was to return the lost cat safe and sound, something that was now being done with the crazed cat acting like a loving kitten in the arms of the pink haired kunoichi. Of course Sasuke had not said word during the entire mess, choosing instead to let a smug little smile play at the corners of his mouth as he watched his friend deal with the beast, payback for how the blond had jokingly mocked his Uchiha counterpart when the latter had had his own escapade with Tora.

"_I swear, next time I'm sending HK to just get rid of that thing,"_the Shugorei heir silently fumed as he watched the cat purr contentedly as Sakura scratched behind its ears.

"Oh come now," Kakashi remarked cheerily as he ruffled the blond hair of his student, sensing the bit of killing intent that the boy was leaking. "This was a good learning experience for you; teaches you to not underestimate your enemy. Also, don't try to mess with your sensei when he's enjoying his book."

His eye twitching a bit in annoyance Naruto crossed his arms across his chest and grumbled to himself, earning an eye smile from a bemused, grey haired jounin. Walking a little bit faster so as to get the mission done and over with the young blond was surprised to hear a small gasp escape behind him. Turning to see who had made the sound the boy's eyes widened a bit in surprise.

Ayeka stood halfway through the doorway of a room the small group had just passed by, as still as a statue and as pale as fine rice paper. In many ways one would believe that the councilwoman had perhaps seen a ghost.

"Ah, Ayeka-sama I didn't see you there. How are you doing today?" the Shugorei heir greeted with a smile and quick bow.

Shaking slightly as she looked at him the Shugorei Steward said nothing in reply, merely turning and walking away as quickly as she could.

"Naruto! What did you do?!" Sakura demanded as she used a free hand to smack the boy in the back of the head.

Holding his head and rubbing at the small bump that was already forming the blond genin quickly answered, "I just asked how she was is all."

"Ayeka-sama is the Shugorei Steward and is their representative on the Village Council," Kakashi stated as he stepped up by the two in order to prevent a scene. "She's usually very busy and probably was just hurrying along to carry out her work."

Watching Sakura accept the explanation Naruto turned and nodded thanks to his jounin-sensei. Catching a small look form the man, and a similar one from Sasuke, the blond Shugorei knew that they hadn't missed what he had seen before the old woman had quickly retreated. Ayeka no longer seemed to possess her normal steady bearing and from the puffy redness that had surrounded her eyes looked as if she had spent a great deal of time crying recently. Where normally the woman seemed to posses a shining inner strength and radiance she now appeared to be a shell of her former self. Why it was that she had reacted so strangely to seeing him Naruto was unsure, but the boy silently resolved to find out.

"_I wasn't expecting to meet her at the shop, but there've been enough clues for her to start suspecting that there is an heir to the Clan," _the blue eyed Shugorei thought as he followed his team into the large Mission Hall at the end of the hallway. _"But the way she acted just now…it was almost as if someone killed her pet in front of her and then forced her to eat it. Something is definitely wrong."_

Waiting for their client to arrive from the waiting room she was in the blond continued to think about the small scene that had just happened.

"_Unfortunately there's no one I can really send to check on her. HK is just downright insensitive at times and it's not like I can go myself,"_ Naruto silently noted as he contemplated the situation. _"This is one of those times I need someone else who is close to the Shugorei to step in. Damn it, why is it that only Ayeka's family stayed around Konoha?"_

"Oh my baby! Mommy missed you so much!" exclaimed Madame Shijimi as she burst into the room and scooped Tora out of Sakura's arms. "You were probably so scared being away from Mommy for so long."

A somewhat chubby lady Madame Shijimi was hardly what one would have expected if asked to picture the wife of the Daimyo of the Country of Fire. Rather plain with dark brown hair the woman wore a purple eye shadow and crimson lipstick with a small beauty mark by her right eye. It was somewhat odd, but her marriage to the Daimyo had been one actually based upon love and not the political deals that often dictated such high level unions. To many young girls, both in and out of the Fire Country, the tale of the romance between the Daimyo and Shijimi gave them hopes and dreams of one day finding their own true love. To many boys it just made them scratch their heads in confusion, especially if they ever got the chance to meet her.

Madame Shijimi did not strike one as being the brightest of people, seemingly more interested in pampering her cat and being a socialite than taking an active part in ruling the country. Indeed the woman always seemed to be traveling, taking special care to stop in Konoha every few months, much to the annoyance of the genin who were constantly tasked with finding her precious Tora. However, to think that she was a bumbling socialite was to commit a grievous error. Madame Shijimi was a politico of the highest level. Her small displays would often throw off those whom she wished to deal with, enough so that she would get what she wanted and more before those who had been fooled knew what had happened. Her frequent traveling served a strategic purpose as well, allowing her to accurately explore the country and report to her husband upon problems and difficulties that had possibly been ignored by some of his vassals and officials. Despite the grumblings of the genin in Konoha the visits by the Daimyo's wife often were to convey the personal wishes of the Fire Lord, wishes that could not risk exposure through the normal channels.

Though Naruto knew the truth about the seemingly odd woman, thanks of course to the education he had received from his Hijiji, he could not help but wonder if the man had possibly exaggerated a few things, especially when it seemed the woman was intent on smothering her precious pet with her love.

"No wonder he runs away," Sakura whispered as she watched the poor cat gasp for air.

"I kind of feel for him," Sasuke quietly commented, reminded of the zealous nature of his fangirls.

"If we have to find him again _maybe_ I'll put him out of his misery," Naruto added almost inaudibly. "Though this does seem like a fitting punishment for biting me."

Giving fake smiles and a few humble bows as Madame Shijimi praised the team for their efforts as she left the three genin let out relieved sighs when the door shut behind her.

"Well done Team 7, once again you have successfully completed your assigned mission," the Sandaime remarked as he leafed through several documents on the table before him. "Now let's see, what else can we have you do? There's babysitting, potato planting, or perhaps helping to retile one of the onsens. That job could keep you busy for a couple of…."

"No! Absolutely not! No!" Naruto interjected, annoyed at the options that had been set out. "What a waste of time, these jobs could be done by the Academy Students waiting for the summer prep class to begin. Give us something that at least challenges our skills."

"Naruto, you know very well that D-rank missions are the norm for genin such as yourself," Iruka firmly countered, having been selected to hand out missions while awaiting the assignment of a new Academy class.

"Yeah, yeah," the blond remarked lazily as he waved off the chunin's protest. "Genin do D-ranks and so on and so forth, but seriously most of these are complete jokes. They're chores that people are either to busy or to lazy to do themselves."

Listening to his student argue the matter Kakashi couldn't help but silently agree with the young blond. As an elite jounin it was demeaning to actually have to watch over his students as they weeded a garden or carried groceries.

"_Too bad I can't just demand a better mission…wait, what am I thinking? Of course I can demand better missions, I'm Hatake Kakashi damn it!" _the grey haired jounin thought as his calm demeanor hid how he was getting fired up.

"Hokage-sama, I'd like to request a C-rank mission for my team," the half-masked jounin spoke firmly as he snapped his book shut, only to see the wondering eyes of his team, Iruka, and the Hokage on him.

"Um, I just offered a C-rank to you Kakashi," the old Hokage said as he quirked an eyebrow towards his subordinate. "Naruto made a few fine points and I see no reason not to allow you a higher ranked mission so long as you believe your team to be ready for it."

"Oh, um…okay then," the jounin replied, slightly embarrassed that he had zoned out for a moment. "We accept the mission Hokage-sama."

"_Wow he's weird sometimes,"_ the three genin of Team 7 thought simultaneously.

"Well then, the mission is quite simple," the Sandaime began to explain. "We've received a request for assistance from the commerce officials from the Fire Country's eastern port city. It seems they have encountered some discrepancies surrounding some of the cargo that has been arriving at and leaving the port over the past few months. Because they and the local vassal lord's policing forces are swamped with the influx of spring trade they want a team to help investigate whether or not smuggling is taking place."

"Well it's not anything too glorious, but at least it's something," Naruto whispered to his teammates, earning nods of approval from each.

"You will be cooperating with the local authorities and following their lead on this," the Hokage finished explaining, handing over the mission scroll to the jounin.

"Understood Hokage-sama," Kakashi responded, turning to address the eager genin. "Meet me at the main gate in an hour and a half fully prepared to leave. This mission may take a week or more, so pack accordingly."

"Hai," the keen genin chorused before quickly rushing off to get ready.

Turning to follow them Kakashi held up as he heard a small cough. Turning his head the jounin saw the Hokage giving him a critical look.

"Kakashi, this mission also has recommendations from the Minister of the Treasury and other members of the Daimyo's court," the old man said as he tilted the triangular hat on his head. "Madame Shijimi was adamant that this must be done quickly and carefully, apparently the Daimyo has plans concerning the area and wants no difficulties later in implementing them."

"Is there anything I should be concerned about?" the grey haired jounin asked.

"There will be an ANBU unit south of you on an investigation mission to Wave Country, but that is of little concern to your operation," the old 'Professor' noted firmly. "This should be a good chance for your team to cut their teeth on, though both Sasuke and Naruto should be more than ready."

"Yes, they can easily handle any bandits or smugglers that we'll encounter," the half-masked jounin responded. "Though, I'm not so sure about Sakura. She's smart and picks things up quickly, but unlike the other two she hasn't accepted the fact that being a ninja means sometimes doing unpleasant things. Hopefully this mission will allow her to grow."

"Good," the Hokage confirmed with a nod. "I have high hopes for your team."

Giving a small nod in return Kakashi walked out the door and back down the hallway from which the team had entered. Team 7 would be leaving shortly on their first real mission and all of its members would need to be prepared.

* * *

Evening had fallen and the light of the pale full moon shown down upon the darkened streets and the many people who had gathered on roof tops, in parks, and on balconies to take it the beautiful sight. In the capital of the Fire Country this was not an odd happening, even though no major celebration or festival had been declared. Here the citizenry, from the lowliest servants to the nobles and even the Daimyo himself, loved to take time from their busy lives and hectic schedules to take in the calm delicateness presented by nature.

Carrying paper lanterns three men made there way through the streets of the large city. All three carried the twin swords that marked their status as Samurai, though the eldest of the group was dressed in a kimono much finer than the younger two.

"Ah, nights like these are so rare Fujita," an old man said sagely, his grey hair in a topknot and his daisho perched securely on his left hip. "You are still young; you should be out searching for a sweetheart rather than guarding an old man such as me."

Giving a small smile a young man with closely cropped black hair answered, "It is my honor to be your escort tonight Minister Matsuda, that soothes the ache in my heart."

"But not the ache in your loins," the third man, his own brown hair pulled into a topknot that revealed how he was balding near the temples.

Turning red with embarrassment Fujita rounded on his fellow guard ordering, "Quiet Isao, such talk is improper in front of…."

The hearty chuckle of Matsuda cut off the young Samurai.

Wiping away a small tear, that had formed with his laughter, by his left eye the old Samurai interjected, "There is no need for such formality, I was once a young man same as you and thought of the softness of women quite often. Though having served as the Minister of the Treasury these last few years have kept me far too busy to enjoy such delights as much as I would prefer."

Blushing even more at the older man's statement Fujita hung his head slightly as both of the other men began to chuckle once again at his expense.

"Perhaps we should make a stop in the hanamachi, find our young Fujita here a lovely little courtesan to keep him warm at night," Isao joked, causing the old Minister to chuckle harder.

"I do believe I can requisition the proper funding for such an operation, after all it is the goal of our fair country to make its citizens happy," Matsuda remarked in between his laughs. "If we can go to such expense on roads and aqueducts I don't see how it would hurt to subsidize some companionship for you lad."

Nodding in agreement Isao added, "While he picks out a girl to his liking we too perchance can sample the wares as we sip some sake."

"Indeed my boy, a novel idea," the Treasury Minister happily supplied. "My wife will worry some, but she has grown used to the fact that my duties often keep me away some nights. It truly is a blessing and a curse sometimes to carefully inspect the financial stability of the country."

"But Minister, we told the Taicho that we would be escorting you home," Fujita protested as his face burned with embarrassment at the uncouth manner of the other men. "Will he not wonder why this wasn't accomplished?"

"The man accepts any answer I give him, especially if it has an incentive with it," answered the old Samurai as the three rounded a corner onto a street that would take them to the district which was home to the high quality sex trade reserved for the upper echelon of the capital. "Hmm, I know a particular lady who may have just what we require. If we…."

Hearing the long pause coming from the man he was supposed to be escorting Isao began to ask, "Hey, did you think of something bet…?"

"Isao," Fujita stated seriously causing the jubilant guard to immediately focus back on the job of guarding the Minister.

Looking down the street they had just turned onto the two guards spotted the form of a person walking towards them through the shadows that enveloped the street due to angle of the moon and the tall buildings.

"Halt and identify yourself!" Fujita ordered as his hand went to the katana that rested with his wakizashi on his left hip.

Pausing for but a moment the figure stepped into a patch of silver moonlight that was escaped through a breach in buildings lining the sides of the street. As the light touched the figure the three men began to relax.

Bathed by the moonlight stood a teenage girl who could not have much older than fifteen years of age, though her face was already taking on the beauty of a mature woman. Her hair matched the dark shadows from whence she had emerged and was intricately braided as it snaked down her back. Wearing a dark blue gi that was open enough to catch a glimpse of her ripening breasts it stopped at the top of her thighs and revealed the creamy skin of her legs as she stood barefoot.

"Oh ho, and what are you doing out on the street by yourself at such a late hour little miss?" Isao asked as he walked forward towards the girl, hearing no answer. "Don't be frightened, we're…."

"I know who you are," the dark haired beauty interrupted stoically.

"Then may I inquire as to your name then?" the balding guard asked politely with a smile. "If you need help getting home then I'm sure we can…."

Keeping himself in front of the Minister he had been charged with guarding Fujita ignored the words of his partner, choosing instead to try and examine the girl who had appeared before them. Looking over the girl the guard suddenly noted that she was holding something in her right hand and keeping it close to her side.

"Isao, check what she's hold…," the young guard began to order before suddenly seeing a quick movement a flash of silver come from the girl. "Isao!"

Unfortunately for the older of the two guards the warning came too late as the blade of a ninjato pierced upwards under his jaw and out the back of his head. Holding the straight blade in her left hand as her right held the sheath the girl remained silent as his warm blood sprayed her face and dripped off her chin.

Knowing that the Treasury Minister was behind him Fujita leapt forward to charge the girl who had just killed his partner, drawing his katana in the process. Closing in on his target an drawing his blade back to deliver a strike that would cut deeply into the girl's chest the young guard watched with unwavering eyes as the dark haired beauty dropped the sheathe for her blade and use both hands to turn and then pull the ninjato out through the dead man's face. Unfortunately, before he could attack and avenge his comrade, the young guard stumbled as a sharp pain blossomed in the center of his back.

"Samurai are so predictable," a man hidden in dark robes said as he stepped down on the wounded guard's back to pull the tip of his spear out, the spurt of blood matching the red tassel that was just below where the deadly point connected to the shaft. "Kill one and the others all go charging in, never stopping to considering that there could be a trap."

"Who are you?! What do you want?!" Minister Matsuda yelled, having drawn his katana and slid into a defensive stance.

"We are here to…," the cloaked man began to say before being interrupted by a low moan from the wounded Fujita, as he tried to shift the weight on his back. "Pardon me, but this will take only a second."

Raising his spear up so that the sharp, broad head glistened in the moonlights as a crimson drop of blood fell from its point the mysterious man thrust the weapon down to pierce the back of the young guard's skull. Giving the weapon a twist, causing a sickening cracking and churning sound as it was extricated, the mysterious man ignored the small piece of bloody, brain matter than dangled from the tip as Fujita's groans were eternally silenced.

"Ah that's better, now where were we?" the spear wielding assassin inquired.

"I was just about to kill you," Matsuda threatened as he tightened the grip he had upon his sword.

"No, that wasn't it," the cloaked man replied easily.

Before he could respond verbally or physically Matsuda felt someone grab his wrists and give a hard yank. Losing hold of his sword the Minister cried out in pain as his left knee buckled from behind as a hard kick was delivered. Falling to his knees the old man felt his right arm pulled back sharply as the elbow joint was locked and then broken with a hard blow. Whimpering in pain the man fell silent as cold, sharp steel delicately touched his throat.

Standing behind the old official with her right hand still grasping the man's right wrist and her left foot planted squarely in the pocket made by the back of his left knee the dark haired girl had a face like ice despite the small drops of blood from Isao on her face, looking like crimson tears on her cheeks. Holding her ninjato steadily in her left hand as the edge was put to the man's throat the moonlight shown upon the them and illuminated the adolescent in a way that almost made her look like a spirit from another world. However, the way the light hit her eyes revealed them to be a dull black more like those of a doll's, lifeless and cold.

"Isn't she something, I was so lucky to stumble across her a few years ago," the cloaked man spoke with a dark chuckle. "She learns so quickly and is obedient like any good dog should be. And just like a dog she lets out the most interesting cries when fucked. Ah, it makes me hard just mentioning it. You here that Inu-chan, master is going to have a treat for you tonight."

"You're a sick fuc…," Matsuda began to growl before the blade at his throat was shifted just enough to draw a small bit of blood.

"Sorry but you only get to speak when I want," the cloaked assassin remarked with a hint of glee. "Now then, we won't kill you so long as you do as you're told, understand?"

Shifting his eyes to stare at the shadow created over the assassin's face by the black cloak the Treasury Minister remained silent.

"You learn quickly too it seems," the spear wielding man said as he brought his spear to rest across his shoulders. "You recently sent a mission request to Konoha; my employer wants you to rescind that request."

"I…I can't, I've already received word that a team is being sent," Matsuda supplied, careful not to move and get his throat cut further. "Besides, the mission originated with the precinct officials; you'd have to get them to rescind their request in order for the mission to be terminated."

"Hmm, I was afraid you would say that," the cloaked man announced as he tapped his hands idly against the shaft of his spear. "Oh well, I guess that useless bitch and her siblings will have to make sure to accomplish their part as well now."

Turning and walking over the corpses of the two dead guards the male assassin suddenly commanded, "Come Inu-chan, maybe I can a get a good show from them."

Without a word the girl released the wrist she had been holding as she dragged the edge of her blade across the soft flesh of the old man's throat. Hurrying to catch up to her master the silent girl paid little heed to the gurgles coming from the Minister as he choked on his own blood.

* * *

**AN:**_Hey everybody here's the next chapter you all have been patiently waiting for; it took a bit longer due to a little writer's block and my responsibilities. I can't promise the next chapter will be out sooner, but I will try to make sure that the wait isn't longer. As for this chapter I would like to the interaction between Yori and Hiroto was inspired by the movie and book "We were Soldiers". I borrowed some dialogue and a small concept from it to create the feeling of a young recruit and a seasoned veteran for the scene. Also, I borrowed a few lines from the movie "Gladiator" for the part when Hiroto and Bunji talk about duty. It seemed like a good example of how two veteran soldiers interact after having seen more than their fair share over the years and how they need to question what it is they have done or will do. Hmm, is there anything that I'm forgetting? Nope, don't think so. Thanks for reading and special thanks to all those who have taken the time to review, the comments really help and a few have given me bits of inspiration._

_**Tyrchon**_  
-,-

Shugorei Archives

**Sai** – The simplest binding jutsu known to the Shugorei the obstruction jutsu works by binding the target with bonds made from the user's chakra. In many ways the technique is part Genjutsu and part Ninjutsu, utilizing traits from both and yet not being fully in one area or the other for precise classification. The technique is quite simple and unfortunately can be easily broken, either by the target or another shinobi. Since the technique only works on low level targets it drives Shugorei members to learn the more advanced binding techniques.


	16. Chapter 15: On Dangerous Ground

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 15 – On Dangerous Ground**_

_(Now with Fanart! Thanks 'I am the Bane of My Sword'!)_

* * *

Travel for any shinobi is based on the simple concept that 'speed is the key'. This reason is why ninja and kunoichi are often found leaping through the treetops and over terrain that would make most travelers cringe. Utilizing their physical prowess shinobi could often travel overland through some of the wilder parts to reach their destination in a fraction of the time it would take if they had traveled along the roadways and canals designed for the transport of goods and regular travelers. Indeed the few times that most shinobi would ever deviate from this preferred method were when circumstances absolutely necessitated it, most often because of the parameters of a mission.

While the mission Team 7 was currently on had not called for it, Kakashi had opted to travel by road to their destination. The coolly collected jounin had decided the matter based upon one major concern, that concern being that both Sasuke and Sakura had little experience when it came to traveling long distances. Seeing as this was the first time the two had ever even been beyond the gates of Konoha, other than for a short Academy excursion or accompanied by a large retinue of family members, it had been decided that taking one of the established roads would be the best choice.

Naruto had not agreed to his teacher's plan or rationale. Used to traveling long distances and over some of the worst terrain imaginable, the Shugorei heir had held his tongue when Kakashi had thrown him a sidelong glance that immediately closed the issue. Some things were not worth fighting over. With the trip taking longer than expected, due to Kakashi's own lackadaisical pace, Naruto almost had a right to be annoyed. Thankfully no one had decided to start a game of 'Are we there yet?' as that would have definitely sent the whiskered genin over the edge. However, despite his ill feelings on the matter it had been a nice trip to show off some of the knowledge he had gained during all the years he had traveled with Jinjiro. Both Sakura and Sasuke had been impressed by their blond teammate's info on the flora and fauna that they observed as they walked…info that earned a subtle nod of acknowledgement from Kakashi.

Arriving at the port as evening was falling Naruto had volunteered to send out a group of Kage Bunshin to find the team someplace for them to bed down only to have his action forestalled by Sakura. Simply commanding the three males of the team to follow her the pink haired kunoichi led the group to the gates of a nicely sized home that was too small to be called a lavish mansion and yet too big to be considered anything but. Before anyone could say a word the wooden gates were opened to them by a bald, portly man. Sakura had said something to the man before receiving a hurried nod in return. Team 7 had quickly been ushered into the home by the man only for him to leave them in the well decorated foyer where they now sat.

Fidgeting slightly, as he disliked being in a position where he did not feel in control, Naruto flexed the grip he held on Konoe before stating bluntly, "Okay, somebody explain because I got nothing right now."

"Cousin!" excitedly exclaimed a young man with flowing silvery, white hair, wearing a high collared red coat with long tails over dark grey pants, as he entered the room.

Walking swiftly over to the group the twenty-something man picked Sakura up by the waist and gave her a twirl as the pink haired girl let out a playful giggle.

"Oh it's been ages since I last saw you. Look at you," the man said as he set down the girl, "all official looking with your shinobi equipment. You're hardly the little girl who I used to send sweets to."

"It's only been a few weeks since you saw me at the party Buntaro-itoko," Sakura remarked with a cheerful grin. "Not to mention you sent me a bag lemon drops no more than a few days after you left."

"That I did," Buntaro said with flirtatious look as he glanced over at the rest of Team 7. "Now Sakura my dear…who _are_ these wonderful creatures you've brought to my home, hmm?"

Falling under the scrutiny of the man, who had now been identified as Sakura's cousin, both Sasuke and Naruto gulped. It wasn't that either was intimidated by the man, his chakra signature was far too weak to be of any concern, rather it was the way that the man was looking them over that made both feel as if he was looking for something rather…specific. Of course Kakashi didn't seem fazed at all, keeping his half-masked face planted in his book.

"This is my team Buntaro-itoko," Sakura stated as she moved over to where the man was picking imaginary lint off of an uneasy Naruto's shoulder. "You, of course, met Sasuke-kun at the party."

"Ah yes, the young Uchiha," the long haired man remarked coyly as he moved to stand behind the sitting boy. "But angst is _so last year_, my dear."

Unfazed by the comment, or she just hadn't heard it, Sakura continued, "This is my other genin teammate, Uzumaki Naruto."

Returning his attention to the whiskered boy Buntaro huskily breathed, "Oh he's just delicious looking…."

Naruto froze up as he heard the words directed near his ear. Feeling unkind to his personal space being invaded, as well as whatever the man could be implying, the Shugorei heir tightened his grip on the hilt of his Zanpakuto.

"And finally this is my jounin-sensei, Hatake Kakashi," Sakura concluded as she introduced the quiet jounin, who was gazing with his lone eye over the rim of his book at the team's host. "Everyone, this is my elder cousin, Haruno Buntaro."

Giving the jounin a cursorily look Buntaro said nothing before turning back to the pink haired genin.

"Since you're here with your team I assume that this isn't a visit based on pleasure," the man said with a knowing smirk as his hazel eyes took on a sparkle.

"I wanted to send you a note that we were coming but we left Konoha rather quickly," the young kunoichi supplied calmly as she folded her hands at her waist. "We have a mission here and…."

"Oh, so you're the team that has been sent to help us clear up the smuggling that is going on!" the elder Haruno interrupted with a joyful flourish of his hands. "I was wondering who would be sent…of course you and your teammates _must_ stay as my guests. I insist."

Shutting his book with a 'snap' Kakashi gave a small bow as he said, "Thank you for extending the comfort of your home to us Haruno-san."

"Think nothing of it," Buntaro said as he half-heartedly waved off the recognition. "It's not everyday I get to entertain such interesting guests."

Eyeing the high-spirited man carefully both Naruto and Sasuke felt a shiver run up their spines as the man looked over to them.

"_Maybe there's a nice tree or shed nearby…?"_ both boys silently contemplated as Sakura gave a squeal of delight as she got another hug from her cousin.

Clearing his throat to gain the attention of the room Kakashi addressed their host, "I'm a bit surprised that you knew a team was being sent to deal with the smuggling Haruno-san. Your name did not appear on any of the official documentation Konoha received."

Seeming to know that the jounin had already guessed the answer and was just confirming his suspicions Buntaro responded, "As the representative of the Haruno family here I sit on a number of committees and boards to oversee the mercantile transactions that occur legally in this fair city. Needless to say, some of my fellow members do not fare well in keeping secrets that I am not originally privy to."

The implication was clear and confirmed what Kakashi had suspected and what both Sasuke and Naruto had picked up on with the direction of the conversation. Information was always power and like many civilian officials it seemed those of this port city liked to showoff the fact that they had access to certain levels of information beyond their peers, information that could be gotten by paying prices that were not necessarily in monetary terms. It was an age old game for the so-called rich and powerful to play, that this game ultimately ended with secrets becoming known did not dissuade from it being played.

"In the morning you can go and see old Yamaguchi, the local magistrate," the male Haruno supplied with a grin, "but right now you all must be famished from your journey. Just leave your bags here and one of my servants will take them to the rooms that are being prepared for you. I dare say my chef is something of a culinary genius. He prepares the most wonderful oysters; they are truly to die for."

As Buntaro prattled on about the dishes that they would soon be feasting upon Naruto caught the man sending a quick glance back to him accompanied by a hungry smile. Feeling a shiver run up his back once again the Shugorei heir couldn't help but curse the fact that HK-47 was back in Konoha on guard duty.

* * *

While his master was miles away HK-47 was patrolling the grounds of Clan Shugorei. Moving with an unexpected degree of stealth the skeletal guardian had already snuck up on one intruder earlier in the evening. Needless to say, the curious woodsman had pissed himself upon seeing the coppery glint of the sentry before making a hasty, and considerably noisy, retreat. If HK had desired to track the man it would not have been difficult. However, 'desired' is probably the wrong term to use when describing the mindset of the somewhat psychotic sentinel. Indeed the rust colored entity had wished to pursue and rend the intruding meatbag apart, but unfortunately his standing orders had precluded him from having such enjoyment.

"**Resignation: Why must the master be so insistent about merely scaring away the civilian meatbags who foolishly wander onto the property?"** HK wondered as he lifted his eyes to look at the crescent shaped moon. **"If only a foolish ninja meatbag would wander by now and then…oh how wonderful it would be to slowly rend them apart."**

"Bark," a familiar looking fox commented as it trotted alongside the guardian.

"**Observation: Yes, while it is fun to watch prey run in terror, you too must agree that there is an even greater thrill in being able to chase them down and then terminate them,"** the rust colored sentinel offered as he turned to glance at his vulpine companion.

"Yip," the orange and black fox responded lightly.

It many ways it was a rather odd sight to see the somewhat psychotic HK-47 tolerating the presence of a living creature other than his master, much less that this particular creature was a cute and furry fox. Knowing his character many would have thought that the guardian would have tried to destroy the small creature that followed closely beside him as he made his rounds. Indeed the sentinel had entertained such thoughts a number of times, but seeing as his orders were to protect Shugorei property and the foxes fell into that category he was bound by orders once again. This did not mean that the rust colored entity still did not harbor the desire, especially when Naruto would chuckle at the pair when encountering them on the grounds. It merely meant he kept it begrudgingly in check.

After giving sanctuary to the vulpine group Naruto had found that the small creatures had begun to view him more and more as their lord and savior. The boy did feel a bit annoyed to be called Kyuubi-sama when the small creatures let out their distinctive barks and yips. It had been something of a surprise to find a pair of freshly killed rabbits near the entrance of the old, overgrown garden that surrounded the main entrance to the underground lair of the Shugorei. However, every time at the peak of the moon's cycle a fresh kill or trinket that had caught the eye of the curious little foxes would appear. HK had regarded the small offerings as trash, but Naruto had quieted the sentinel by always accepting them. It wasn't hubris or god-like feelings that drove the young Shugorei to do so. No, it was as a sign of mutual respect. Jinjiro had told him once that everyone needs something to believe in, to give them hope when things seem at their worst. Coincidentally many of the trinkets had made their way to the small garden shrine dedicated to Inari. Showing the proper degree of respect was a major tenet for Clan Shugorei.

"**Statement: It has been quite some time since I have had the pleasure of terminating a meatbag,"** HK noted as he paused his patrol. **"The termination of that corpulent meatbag was such a fond gift from the master. I can only hope another such opportunity comes along soon."**

The fox let out a soft whine in response as he looked up with his amber eyes glinting in the moonlight.

"**Statement: Indeed, it is almost sad that you were not present to see it,"** HK commented as he looked down to his vulpine companion. **"It was…artistic, to use a favorite meatbag term."**

The fox regarded the guardian for a moment before sitting on his haunches and proceeding to preen his tail.

"**Query: Do you think the master was not impressed by my display? Could it be that he found my abilities to be only…average?"** the guardian wondered awkwardly.

Halting the cleaning of his tale the fox cocked an eye towards the chakra based entity.

"**Supposition: Perhaps I need to do something to impress the master," **HK-47 said as he tried to stand a little straighter and look more intimidating. **"Observation: I could slaughter all of those in the surrounding area. Query: Would that not be impressive?"**

Giving and odd look towards the psychotic sentry the fox let out a sound that was a mix between a growl and a whine.

Looking back down to where the fox was sitting HK answered, **"Statement: No, I did not mean us as well, you furry little meatbag."**

"Bark!" the vulpine remarked quickly, his preening forgotten.

HK-47 seemed ready to respond, but turned his head to stare back the way the pair had come, back towards the ruins of the compound.

"**Observation: This night is getting more interesting already,"** the tall sentry remarked as his reddish-orange eyes seemed to almost pulse.

With that being said HK took of in a long gaited run. Just as he often claimed HK moved with a quickness and quietness that would have impressed and confounded any shinobi that had the chance to observe him. Far behind him a confused fox let out a string of sounds as it tried desperately to catch up.

Coming to the ruins of the main Shugorei building HK slowed his run in order to slip seamlessly into the shadows cast by the pale moonlight. The remnants of a sizeable chakra signature were still fresh on the set of detection seals, this wasn't a lost civilian. Like a hunter stalking his prey the guardian moved with his senses fully alert. For an intruder to make it this far into the Shugorei lands without prior detection meant that they possessed considerable skill. It wasn't too surprising to the guardian seeing as he had already processed the information gathered by the numerous seals that surrounded the area and run it against the vast archive kept in the underground vaults, only two possible matches had been found.

Stepping around what had once been a wooden support beam for a roof that no longer existed HK-47 spied his quarry silently gazing at the old shed that camouflaged the entrance to where Clan Shugorei kept all of its secrets.

"**Warning: You should not be here meatbag, leave immediately,"** the rust colored sentinel demanded. **"Should you dare to try anything I will terminate you without hesitation. Dubious Enticement: Please do try something."**

"I see you are still pleasant as always…psycho," Bunji stated as he turned his one eyed gaze to pierce his confronter.

"**Observation: And you are as foolish as ever servant meatbag,"** HK countered as the fingers on his right hand curled in anticipation. **"You should be thankful that the master moved you from the 'Terminate on Sight' list to the 'Get a Warning' list. Seeing as you have received **_**a **_**warning…."**

Ducking with a speed reminiscent of someone at least half his age Bunji barely escaped the bolt of electrically charged chakra that ripped through where his skull should have been. His hair and scalp tingling the ANBU Captain caught the hint of ozone that had been left by the bolt having torn through the air.

"**Observation: Impressive meatbag, especially of one your age,"** the guardian supplied as the latticework of live electricity still played over his outstretched right arm. **"However, you shall not survive much longer."**

Raising his left arm HK let loose a torrent of flame.

His eye going wide Bunji jumped upwards to avoid his fiery demise. Hanging in air for a moment the man heard the distinct pop of rocks cracking as the heat from the incendiary stream flash boiled what little moisture had seeped into them. Catching the sight of HK's eyes directed towards him and an electrically charged right arm being brought to bear Bunji used Shunshin, lest he be caught in midair by next attack. Feeling his feet touch down on the crumbling remains of an old wall Bunji watched the remnants of another bolt of electricity rip through where he had originally been. Bringing his hand up unconsciously to touch the patch of dark leather that covered the socket of his empty right eye Bunji felt a shiver run up and down his spine. He had a bad history with lightning and its users.

Shaking of the ghosts of the past the battle hardened shinobi growled out loudly, "I haven't come here to deal with you, psycho, but the master whom you serve. I demand to…."

Turning ever so slowly HK let his arms lower to his sides. It was a habit of his, one that had made many an opponent rush in believing they had an opportunity to land a decisive and final attack. All of the attacks had indeed been decisive and final, only never in their favor, seeing as how cold metal hands around their necks was the last thing they would ever feel before that sudden 'snap' at the end.

"**Statement: Servants demand nothing. They exist only to fulfill the demands of their master. You should remember your place meatbag,"** the guardian interrupted darkly.

Bristling with annoyance and anger Bunji snarled, "If I have to take you apart to get my answers then so be it. Your master can not hide from me."

"**Observation: My master is your master, meatbag," **HK supplied. **"And were he here you would be made to dearly regret your insinuation before your termination."**

Putting his hands together in preparation for releasing a jutsu the ANBU Captain countered harshly, "I know well that Jinjiro has decided to rot away the rest of his time somewhere beyond Konoha. I am here to see your new master, not your old one."

"**Statement: Your brain is not as quick as your body meatbag,"** HK commented derisively. **"Observation: So pitiful and frail is the composition of meatbags. If not for the master I would find little redeeming value in any of your kind."**

"Oh, and I suppose you think yourself better?" inquired the one eyed ninja as he moved his hands into the final seal of his jutsu.

"**Of course, HK-47 is superior!"** the guardian proudly declared before suddenly being thrown into the air by an explosion at his feet.

Smirking as smoke rose up and pieces of rubble fell down onto where the guardian had landed Bunji remarked calmly, "Apparently not superior enough to notice or dodge the earth dragon that I made under your feet."

Knowing that HK would either dig himself out or just use a nearby seal to reform soon Bunji turned on his heel and leapt off the old wall he had been standing upon. HK may indeed be psychotic, but the guardian was also loyal beyond measure. The sentinel of Clan Shugorei was dangerous even on the best of days. Having just been taken unawares by someone he disdained only an absolute fool would dare stick around to try and weather his wrath. Bunji was by far no fool, especially since he now had what he came for.

HK was dangerous and loyal, but he also had a tendency to let information slip inadvertently if you knew how ask the right questions. Having spent a good part of his life serving the Shugorei and living on their hallowed grounds Bunji of course knew exactly what to do and say around the guardian. The ANBU Captain had already been able to glean some key facts from what the rust colored sentinel had said.

Leaving the ruins and moving out through the woods surrounding them the ANBU Captain silently noted, _"So the master is male and away right now. A look at the duty roster and the gate logbook should give me a nice little list to add to the rest of my research. Be you Uzumaki Naruto or someone else I will find you."_

The moonlight glancing off of his remaining eye Bunji smiled.

Back in the Shugorei ruins the dust had finally settled. Atop a large mound of fresh earth a familiar orange and black fox was vigorously digging using his sharp, little claws.

"**Statement: While your efforts are appreciated they are not required,"** HK noted as he stepped into former garden once again. **"As you can see I have already reconstituted myself from one of the nearby seals."**

Halting his digging the fox turned and bounded over to the guardian, running circles about the entity's legs and yipping frantically.

"**Statement: I am well aware that you witnessed part of that fraudulent fight. I assure you it would take far more than that to damage a chakra based guardian of such sophistication and ability as myself," **the rust colored sentinel remarked as he looked down to the furry little creature that seemed to be worried about him. **"That bothersome servant meatbag has already made it beyond the outer perimeter. If not for the master's orders I would pursue. However, should he dare come back it will be at his own peril as I will not allow his escape a second time."**

Stopping his running to sit in front of the sentry the fox looked up and gave a small whine.

"**Observation: Undoubtedly he thinks he has succeeded in some way," **HK remarked, his voice dripping with ridicule. **"Despite the small landscaping change the master's possessions, home, and secrets are safe and secure. The meatbag has ultimately failed in whatever endeavor he was undertaking."**

"Bark?" the fox let out suddenly before letting a short growl escape from his throat.

"**Observation: You are only a fox and hardly knowledgeable on the behavior and thought processes of humans,"** the guardian of Clan Shugorei replied. **"Meatbags such as that one think all too linearly. My assessment is correct and your worry is of little consequence."**

"Yip?" the furry little creature responded quickly before launching into a long series of quizzical sounds.

Feeling somewhat annoyed that his assessment was being questioned HK responded in annoyance, **"Statement: Oh, do shut up, you furry little meatbag."**

With that being said HK stalked back off to continue his patrolling of the Shugorei grounds. Following behind him, lightly yipping and barking, the small fox followed.

* * *

Dinner as a guest of one Haruno Buntaro had been an experience that had garnered mixed reactions. The range of such started at loving excitement and ended at scandalized humiliation. Seeing as Sakura had deigned to spend some more time with her beloved cousin while the males of Team 7 retreated to the rooms provided for them, it was little wonder as to who felt what.

"All I'm saying is that if she pinches my butt one more time…well I can't be held responsible for my actions," Naruto grumbled in irritation as the trio made their way down a long hallway.

Letting out a sigh through his mask Kakashi chided, "Listen Naruto, I know you are uncomfortable with the way Buntaro and his fiancée act, but this is just one of those hardships on a mission that we as shinobi learn to deal with."

"They never mentioned anything like this at the Academy," the whiskered blond remarked in annoyance as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"It was on one of those days you decided to skip," Sasuke commented with a small smirk.

"Oh yes, make all the jokes you want," Naruto retorted as he turned to his friend. "But remember that if Sakura has her way those two are going to be part of your in-laws."

At the mere mention of that fact Sasuke's smirk quickly disappeared, replaced by a worried frown.

"Well at least the family get-togethers would be interesting," Kakashi noted as he rubbed his clothed chin.

"I can't believe that he actually has a fiancée," Naruto marveled. "Not to mention that she acts just like him."

Indeed meeting Mira had been just as odd as the initial introduction to Buntaro had been. The woman was indeed beautiful, with a figure that would cause many a man to pause in awe at the sight. However, just like her lover she was incredibly flamboyant and flirtatious…not to mention she had wandering hands. Poor Naruto had been seated next to her for dinner and could attest to that as he had made several startled jumps when she had initiated some less than proper touching beneath the table cloth. From Buntaro's reaction it seemed the man not only had little to no problem with such, but may have almost been encouraging it. Of course Sakura had seemed deaf, blind, and dumb to it all, something that had made Sasuke fidget slightly and break his natural cool and collected demeanor.

"Why would you be surprised?" the grey haired jounin asked lightly, a hidden smile playing across his face. "Did you have certain ideas in mind?"

Blushing furiously at the implication Naruto stuttered out, "Well, it's just that…you know. The way he acted and all…it seemed like…well, I assumed that he was…."

"You assumed that he was homosexual," Kakashi said flatly.

Both Sasuke and Naruto froze as their previous assumption was revealed so bluntly.

In truth it was an easy assumption to make and it didn't surprise the jounin that his two genin had made it. He doubted either one held any real prejudices regarding such a thing so making a speech on tolerance of others would be superfluous. However, that didn't mean he shouldn't use this as an opportunity to teach them on being more careful on making assumptions.

"Despite both of you being better than the average genin you still have a great deal to learn," the jounin noted sagely. "If you had taken the time to look underneath the underneath then you may have seen his true intentions."

Kakashi's reference caused both genin to think back to the lesson the team had received from him on information gathering. The lesson had referenced the bell test as well as several hypothetical scenarios that had been laid out for them. All three of the young genin had come away with the fact that they had to be more careful on jumping to conclusions and missing key details. While all three had learned a great deal it was Naruto who had been the most affected by it. The young Shugorei had considered himself already well on his way to being a master of the games of deceit and information. Being proven wrong by Kakashi had made the genin keenly aware that while he was indeed good, well above average in fact, mastery was still well far-off. This new development reinforced that fact.

"What did we miss then?" Sasuke asked calmly as he regained tried to hide his own chagrin.

His visible eye closing, his smile seeming to grow, Kakashi answered, "Our host was using his words and overt actions to cover the fact that he was taking stock of the both of you. He was making note of what weapons you had visible. When he lightly touched your clothing he was checking for hidden armor by the texture and way the fabric laid. Most likely our luggage has also been carefully examined to determine the contents."

"He did all that?" Naruto remarked in disbelief. "Was Mira doing the same at dinner?"

"Oh no, she just seems to have taken a fancy to you," Kakashi replied offhandedly, causing both of the boys to stumble slightly.

Taking on a more serious tone the jounin continued, "You both should remember that those who rise to positions of power often develop a certain degree of paranoia. Those who are able to mask it as well as Buntaro does are often the most dangerous."

"Do you think that he has something to do with our mission?" Sasuke inquired gravely.

Rubbing his chin once again Kakashi responded slowly, "He probably left out certain details when he talked about it before, but that was most likely to protect how he acquired the information. While it is possible that he is involved further the chances are small. The truth is more likely that he is being careful to protect the economic interests held by the Haruno. Sakura's family didn't become the merchant powerhouse it is today by being stupid. Then again, they too have cases where a member of the family decided to be too ambitious."

"Should we be worried about her?" Naruto asked quietly as they came to where their rooms were located.

"She should be fine. I didn't notice anything that would lead me to believe that Buntaro isn't the loving cousin she believes him to be," the one eyed jounin stated calmly.

What Kakashi didn't say and what could have been construed by Naruto's question was any need to be suspicious of the pink haired kunoichi. Family ties indeed run deep, but the Haruno had always shown a distinct loyalty to Konoha. Knowing that both Sakura's grandfather and mother had drilled such tenets into the young girl, Kakashi doubted there was any need to worry. But then again, everyone had made a similar assumption concerning Uchiha Itachi.

Giving a quick shake of his head Kakashi cleared away those particular thoughts. A certain degree of paranoia was healthy in the dangerous world that they lived in. However, drawing the line on such thoughts was, at times, even more important.

"Get some rest," the jounin ordered as he turned to walk back the way they came. "Tomorrow our mission truly begins and I want you two sharp. I'll get Sakura and make sure she does the same, she'll have time later on to play _catch-up_ with her cousin."

Each giving a nod of agreement both Naruto and Sasuke opened the doors that led to the rooms which they had been provided.

"Oh, before I forget," Kakashi interrupted, stopping the two from closing their doors. "I may not always give any of you a direct answer at times when I think it is better for you to learn something on your own, but this is something that I want made abundantly clear."

Hearing no hint of the normal casualness in the man's serious tone the two genin knew that this was something that Kakashi deemed incredibly important.

"As your jounin-sensei it is my job to teach you and prepare you as the next generation of Konoha shinobi. That also means protecting all three of you," the grey haired jounin stated solemnly. "While we must make certain allowances for the nature of our clients and allies don't ever think that I would willingly put you into a situation you could be taken advantage of or harmed."

It was just as simple as that. Kakashi would do his best to prepare them for the lifestyle and profession they had chosen just as he would do his best to smack down those who decided to cross certain moral and ethical lines. It wasn't much of an assurance in the shinobi's world of death and depravity, but for the genin of Team 7 at least it was something and that something would allow them to sleep a little easier.

* * *

The Rusty Kunai was not much of a bar, closer to a hole in the wall then a reputable establishment. There were quite a few shinobi-only taverns in Konoha, but this one was a step above the others. In many ways it acted as an unofficial social club for the more elite shinobi of Konoha. In order to even get into The Rusty Kunai one had to be brought in by someone who was already welcomed, someone who was a veteran shinobi. Yuuhi Kurenai had been brought in by her friend Mitarashi Anko shortly after making jounin several months ago and now the two kunoichi were sitting at the bar as the jukebox in the corner played its low, sweet music.

"Why does Iruka-kun always run away from me?" Anko whined as she downed another shot of sake. "My love is un…undi…undeni…. Underwear!"

Her drunken exclamation finished Anko placed her head down on the bar as Kurenai patted her comfortingly on the back.

"I'm sure he'll come around eventually," the genjutsu mistress halfheartedly reasoned.

Having grown used to seeing Anko pine over her supposed love Kurenai knew that trying to reason with her was out of the question. Anko had heard it all numerous times from numerous friends. The female ANBU Captain knew their opinions on the matter and plainly, didn't care.

Not hearing a response Kurenai looked down to see a small pool of drool already forming beneath her friend's mouth. Like most of these excursions it seemed she would be carrying a passed out Anko back to the apartment the two shared. Letting out a sigh the genjutsu mistress almost wished that she could feel just as free as her friend sometimes. It had been a couple of years since the genjutsu mistress had enjoyed an honest night of debauchery that culminated in her getting blind, stinking drunk. However, Kurenai knew the chances of that happening tonight were exactly slim to none. Anko was the wild one while she would always be the more self-conscious of the two.

"_At least I was never as bad as Hinata is,"_ the kunoichi internally reasoned. _"Her prick of a father could sour milk with his attitude."_

While all of the genin on her team were important to her Kurenai had naturally bonded closer to the new kunoichi. It had become something of a personal mission for Kurenai to bring Hinata out of her shell and turn her into one of the best kunoichi Konoha had ever seen. Anko had volunteered her help as well in the name of kunoichi unity. However, Kurenai had decided that introducing the shy girl to the outgoing ANBU Captain was something that should probably wait a little while longer.

"_Small steps, she has to learn to walk before she gets thrown into the pit of crazy that is Anko,"_ Kurenai thought with a giggle, which of course caused her to accidentally snort some of the sake she had been drinking.

"It seems you're in high spirits this evening," Sarutobi Asuma commented with a hint of dry humor as he slid onto the empty barstool next to the red eyed kunoichi.

Shooting a scathing glance at the senior jounin Kurenai was suddenly glad for the burning sensation in her nose caused by the alcohol. It at least blocked out the horrible smell of tobacco smoke that came from the man's nearly ever present cigarette.

"What do you want Asuma?" the genjutsu mistress asked coolly.

"A drink," the bearded jounin remarked casually, "perhaps one for you as well?"

Raising the saucer of sake already in her hand Kurenai let a small smirk of triumph cross her face.

"I see," the Sarutobi noted with a slightly smaller grin as he accepted the bottle of beer placed before him by the bartender.

The two sat quietly for a moment, each enjoying their drinks. The jukebox switched songs, not that it really mattered as all that it was stocked with was the same style of quiet melodies. The atmosphere was ruined when Anko let out a loud snore.

"Seems our girl here is done for the evening," Asuma commented, setting his beer down and stabbing the butt of his cigarette into the nearby ashtray. "I'd give Iruka a swift kick in the ass for her, but I'm rather attached to my foot."

It was rather odd that Anko so vigorously pursued someone as quiet and unassuming as Iruka; it was a mystery that confounded quite the number of people. Even Kurenai, her best friend, had never been able to get the truth of the obsession. A sizeable betting pool had been started because of it and of course the local gossips had a whole host of theories. Kurenai had heard them all and the best were simply absurd, often involving massive orgies and secret fetish chambers. The worst, however, were just downright hurtful and often involved a reminding Anko and everyone else about one of the worst parts of the snake mistress's past. A part that could be summed up with a well despised name…Orochimaru.

Looking over to the bearded jounin Kurenai realized that the man had not even the hint on his face that he was attempting to make a joke. It immediately caught her attention and made her wonder if it was something that would explain her friend's forlorn love.

"I don't follow," the genjutsu mistress said, fishing for more information.

Giving a sharp laugh Asuma seemed to study his bottle of beer as he replied with a tired smile, "Your talent and skill always makes me forget that you've only been a jounin for a few months now. It also makes me forget that you're one of the few who never went through a stint in the ANBU."

"What does that have to do with an Academy teacher like Iruka?" Kurenai asked pointedly.

Taking a gulp of beer Asuma responded slowly, "If you don't know then I shouldn't be the one to tell you. Ask Iruka, Anko, or Kakashi sometime if you really want to know…just be careful not to lose that pretty head of yours in doing so. Especially if it's Iruka you ask."

"Oh come on," Kurenai said with a small giggle, the alcohol finally beginning to loosen her up. "Iruka's so quiet and sweet. I doubt he'd even hurt a fly if given the choice."

Lighting a new cigarette Asuma commented gruffly, "Trust me on this and just let it go. If it doesn't concern you, don't get involved."

Looking over to her passed out friend Kurenai began to seriously wonder about what the younger woman was hiding. Unlike what many of the gossipmongers wished to believe Mitarashi Anko was far from being a slutty, crazy woman. Oh she was indeed crazy at times, but in truth Kurenai could count on one hand the number of times she had ever seen or heard of Anko actually getting involved with a man…or a woman for that matter. In truth Anko was a very private person. Knowing that pressing the younger kunoichi for answers would be akin to attempting to squeeze blood from a stone Kurenai set her saucer of sake down to think about her options.

"_Anko's out, if she hasn't told me by now then she isn't going to,"_ the red eyed kunoichi silently noted. _"I usually don't see Iruka outside the mission hall or the Academy. Considering I've never interacted with him outside of those areas, or when Anko drags me off on another of her frenzied chases, approaching out of the blue about a personal topic would be strange. Kakashi's probably my best bet since…."_

A small, scarlet blush filled the cheeks of Kurenai's face as she recalled the one night fling that she and the enigmatic ninja had a few years back. It hadn't been much, just one night of sex. Both had been looking for nothing more than another warm body for the evening, someone to just let go with. While they had both found a certain 'satisfaction' it hadn't been anything to build a relationship on. It had been a mutual decision and neither felt as much as a pang of regret about it afterwards. They had conflicting needs and desires, so why cheapen a good memory by pretending to be people that they weren't? It was part of their job as shinobi to do so, but that was work. Personal lives for anyone couldn't be based on such things and for a shinobi that was doubly true.

"_Hmm, he usually stops in to get a 'nightcap' but…,"_ Kurenai recalled mentally as she noted that she hadn't seen the mask wearing jounin at all this evening.

"You haven't, by chance, seen Kakashi around lately, have you?" the raven haired kunoichi asked her still conscious companion.

Setting down the bottle of beer he had emptied Asuma motioned to the bartender for a second before answering.

"Kakashi decided to take that _special_ little team of his and go out on a C-rank mission a couple of days ago," the young Sarutobi said with a hint of disgust. "You'd think with his past he'd take heed of the old saying 'pride comes before the fall'."

Kurenai's eyes slightly widened, more surprised at the revelation that Kakashi had gotten his new team a C-rank then what opinion Asuma held on the matter. Having been assigned, what she at least considered to be a well balanced team, Kurenai had been actually hoping to beat both of her male counterparts in being the first of the new genin teams to move up from D-ranks to C-ranks. The fact that Kakashi had beaten her wasn't too surprising; Kurenai had considered him her main competition anyways since Asuma had always favored a more cautious style. No, what really surprised the genjutsu favoring kunoichi was the fact that the unspoken contest had ended so quickly.

"_I checked the mission rosters and records daily,"_ Team 8's jounin-sensei silently contemplated. _"Kakashi's team only had one more D-rank mission then mine. Why did he advance them so quickly? They can't be any better then my own students…can they? No, my students are just as good."_

"…he's good I'll grant him that, but taking out a team that has barely begun to get a feel for working together so soon is just plain foolish," Asuma expressed as Kurenai half-heartedly listened, far too caught up in one particular thought. "I mean really, who in their right mind takes three, Academy fresh, genin and decides to go and…."

"How do you think they stack up…the genin I mean?" Kurenai asked, her mind trying to recall all of the pertinent facts she had seen when reviewing the files of this year's Academy graduates.

The fingers of his left hand tapping the glass bottle of beer as his right pinched the cigarette from his mouth Asuma exhaled twin ribbons of smoke from his nose as he contemplated his answer.

"The Uchiha is good, that I'll grant you. I've seen Sasuke's Academy record and even got a chance to see him do some training. That kid is definitely genius shinobi material. A couple of the things I saw him practicing are what you'd expect from a chunin who has a couple years of experience," the jounin noted as he scratched his beard lightly. "The Haruno girl, however, doesn't even come close to rating so well. She and Ino are roughly comparable in terms of physical skills, but that ain't saying a whole hell of a lot considering the blatant lack of stamina and strength."

Kurenai couldn't help but nod in agreement. While she did have her pride as a kunoichi even she had to admit that in terms of stamina and strength kunoichi were always lacking in comparison to their male counterparts. No more was this blatantly obvious then with especially young kunoichi. On her own team the difference was horrible when one compared Hinata to either Kiba or Shino.

Tapping the ash off his cigarette Asuma took another swig of beer before continuing, "Ino's trump is her Yamanaka heritage, but even there she only has one skill truly mastered. It'll be quite a while before she's anywhere near ready to go on a C-rank. Sakura has nothing comparable in terms of her own heritage, so Kakashi would have to be some kind of miracle worker to get her ready so soon."

"She did have some of the best Academy test scores ever seen," Kurenai said in an attempt to defend the young girl.

"Only on the written exams," the older jounin noted in a puff of cigarette smoke. "Things like that don't mean shit when the kunai begin to fly."

Kurenai hated to admit it, but Asuma had a fair point there. Turning back on her barstool to pour herself some more sake Kurenai felt something tug at the back of her mind. Nearly all genin teams have three genin, Team 7 being no exception, but Asuma had only commented on two of them.

"What about their other member?" the female jounin asked as the hand holding her saucer of sake paused on its rise to her lips. "Uzumaki Naruto."

It wasn't much, but one didn't become a jounin let alone one that specialized in genjutsu without being able to pick up on the nuances of a person. The way Asuma had stopped mid-sip and then slid his cigarette from one corner of his mouth to the other could have been due to him feeling the need to better position the smoldering tobacco in order not to accidentally wet it with alcohol. However, Kurenai had never seen Asuma do such a thing before when casually enjoying a drink. She had only ever seen it on a mission when some detail was bothering him.

"Asuma, what's wrong?" the kunoichi asked, worried by the man's stony silence. "Asuma…?"

"Nothing…it's nothing," the older jounin answered slowly, almost uncertainly.

Kurenai had accepted his silence and refusal to explain just moments before regarding Anko and Iruka, but now…this, this was different. She had never actually met Naruto, only really knowing about him from reports and rumors. The members of her team had mentioned him when she had asked them about their friends and Academy experience. Kiba had been boastful of how Naruto had knocked Sasuke down a few pegs at the Academy. Shino had been his usual collected self, describing Naruto as 'a friend'. Having worked with the members of the stoic Aburame clan in the past Kurenai knew that simple distinction to be high praise. Hinata's reaction had been the most interesting. The young Hyuuga had blushed and stuttered the blond boy's name while pushing her index fingers together before going quiet and letting a small smile grace her face. Kurenai too had once been a young kunoichi fresh from the Academy, so she recognized the telltale signs almost immediately. It seemed that the heiress to Clan Hyuuga had a bit of a crush on the whiskered blond.

"It is something Asuma. Now what is it?" Kurenai asked, needing to know if not for her own sake then at least for the sake of her team.

The beard wearing jounin silently set his drink down before slowly saying, "You and I both know what he is. We can't kid ourselves on that fact…or the facts about what his fate will ultimately be."

"Asuma…," Kurenai began to say before being interrupted.

"He's a jinchuuriki, a living prison, a human sacrifice," Asuma continued, missing his name having been uttered. "History speaks for its self and the histories of those who were jinchuuriki are all the same."

It was true, Kurenai couldn't dispute that. Those who became vessels for demons had few options and really only one ultimate end. Eventually the demon they contained would need to be resealed, be that is was due to the vessel losing control to the demon, the seal that contained the demon weakened and/or broke, or the vessel finally succumbed to their prisoner and became an avatar of demonic destruction and death. However, Naruto had something that other jinchuuriki didn't…something that Kurenai believed in and would bet everything on.

"The Yondaime made the seal that Naruto carries," the genjutsu wielding kunoichi supplied. "From what your father, the Sandaime Hokage himself says. That seal is far stronger and far more complex than any other that has ever…."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Asuma yelled, slamming the palms of his hands down hard on the wooden surface of the bar.

The outburst attracted the attention of every person in the bar, well except Anko. The passed out kunoichi simply repositioned her head to get more comfortable on the pillow she had made of her crossed arms. All of the other patrons, however, turned to stare and wonder at what the bit of commotion was about. Needless to say both Kurenai and Asuma were somewhat abashed.

Taking a moment for the other patrons to go back to their own business Asuma began to speak again, albeit in a tired whisper.

"Whenever a new jutsu is created it always undergoes massive trials and testing. We try to recreate it under as many different circumstances as we can in order to make sure that it works and to determine what problems it may have," the beard wearing Sarutobi remarked quietly. "Minato was a genius, especially when it came to seals, but that seal is different. No one knows exactly how it works, not even my father. We can't easily test it or recreate it, at least not ethically, so all we are left with is putting blind faith in it."

Turning to look at her companion Kurenai responded, "It's lasted this long, so why should we doubt it now?"

"Dams last for years while helping us harness the power of water," Asuma remarked almost sagely. "However, eventually a dam will collapse and the force of nature it held back will be released with a fury far worse than it originally was…and the Kyuubi is a force of nature far worse than any other."

It was a reasonable worry. Kurenai hadn't been in Konoha when the Kyuubi had struck. She had been racing back with a group of fellow shinobi, desperate upon hearing that their home faced annihilation. Despite not being in the village at the time the young kunoichi had bore witness to the devastation left by the now sealed Demon Fox. That alone was enough to put a good amount of fear into her. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for the shinobi who had been in the village during the time of the attack, shinobi like Asuma. Fear and anxiety on that level wasn't something that one got over easily…if ever.

"So, what would you propose?" the genjutsu mistress asked slowly, not sure if she was prepared for where this conversation could turn. "Kill him?"

"I don't know," Asuma replied, his tone hinting at the weariness that seemed to burden him. "Jinchuuriki are supposed to be weapons, something to be kept in a glass case that reads 'Break in the event of War', but…."

Hearing the older jounin trail off Kurenai asked, "But what?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh Asuma answered, "The kids of my team, they all have good things to say about him. My father…my father thinks of him as his own grandson and I've never seen a hint that my mother feels any different. Konohamaru is always talking about how great Naruto is. The kid almost seems to hold him as part rival, part hero, and part big brother and that was only after spending a day with him. I thought Asuka would be worried because of it, but she seemed delighted instead. Konohamaru is an only child and never been really good at making friends. For the longest time he was only focused on beating my old man and becoming Hokage, but now…."

Taking a moment Asuma seemed to weigh his words before saying, "Konohamaru is Asuka's whole life. If he's happy then she's happy. I swore to protect my family, but doing so in this case would hurt them. So how, how do I protect them and not hurt them at the same time?"

At that moment Kurenai truly felt for Asuma. The male jounin was in a difficult position, forced to choose between giri and ninjo, duty and human compassion. With their distinctive philosophy the shinobi of Konohagakure were almost expected to deal with such a situation at least once in their lives, if not more. It was never an easy decision to make and no matter what, it would follow the person for the rest of his or her life. Such a situation had yet to personally occur for Kurenai and for that she was distinctly grateful.

"I think you already know who you should ask on that matter," the red eyed kunoichi said softly.

"_Otousan…,"_ the young Sarutobi silently realized before feeling something soft brush against his cheek.

Pulling back from the chaste kiss she had just given, Kurenai quietly noted, "Even if you don't ask, I think you already know the answer. Right now you just want someone to confirm it for you."

Not really hearing what she was saying, far too focused on the lingering warm spot on his cheek, Asuma asked, "Why did you do that?"

"We all need a comforting touch now and then," the kunoichi commented softly with the hint of a smile. "Besides, you can be kind of cute when you start thinking hard…even if you are a little scruffy."

Hearing the reference to his beard Asuma let out a short chuckle, causing Kurenai to give him a playful push. The serious nature of their conversation forgotten the two went back to enjoying their drinks, swapping a few jokes and tales about their genin. Neither noticed that the person watching them through almost closed eyes.

Watching her friend and roommate actually enjoying herself for once Anko hid the small smile that wished to cross her face. At the same time the ANBU Captain took her fingers off the thin stiletto blade she kept hidden near her wrist in her tan trench-coat. Her head possessed a muffled feeling from the alcohol she had consumed, but she could make out most of the words being said by the two jounin sitting next to her. She hadn't passed out as completely as Kurenai had thought, only missing when Asuma had decided to sit down. The last remaining son of the Hokage had skirted very thin ice when the conversation had turned to Uzumaki Naruto. Anko knew the laws of Konoha by heart and being the head of the ANBU Division charged with quiet eliminations she had killed quite a few times in the name of those laws, though never because of the law that applied to the young Kyuubi container. Thankfully tonight would not be marked by such an occasion.

"_You owe Kurenai-chan right now Asuma,"_ the ANBU Captain noted mentally as she finally began to let sleep take hold of her.

Letting her conscious thoughts fade into dreams the last thing that struck the usually energetic kunoichi was what Kurenai and Asuma had said regarding her and Iruka. She had tried to open up over years since being tainted by the traitor of the Sannin, but it was a slow process that no one could rush, not even Anko herself. It hurt, a little, that she couldn't bring herself to open up on that particular point even though Kurenai would understand completely. As that regret faded a small tear formed at the corner of Anko's eye as she dreamed of one of the few moments of her life when she had truly felt happy…too bad it was also one of the shortest.

* * *

The port that Team 7 had arrived in for their mission was almost typical of every major population center in the Country of Fire. The buildings were a mixture of tan and earthen tones while streets were set out in a geometric pattern. Arrayed in a semicircle the port would have almost resembled part of a wagon wheel if viewed from above, what with the main streets being spokes shooting out from the docks and warehouses that were the hub of port. Though the docks and warehouses would be the major focus of their mission Team 7 now found itself waiting in a lavishly furnished room,

"Do you think we'll have to wait much longer Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she looked up from where she sat.

Opening his eye the jounin broke from the small meditative trance. While his hand almost itched to reach into his supply pouch and pull out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise Kakashi knew better. His little habit could be tolerated by those he regularly, but Team 7 was scheduled to meet with the local magistrate, a man the jounin had never met. Representing Konoha right now it wouldn't do to give the man a bad impression when he decided to come in.

"I'm sure Magistrate Yamaguchi will be along shortly," the jounin tried to assure the girl.

Having already been waiting for over an hour the normally tardy jounin was beginning to feel his patience fail. The irony of the situation was not lost upon him.

"From what your cousin mentioned this morning this seems rather typical," Naruto interjected from where he was leaning against a wall. "Bureaucrats like to make people wait, makes them feel more important. The fact that this one is rather old and held this position for a few decades only adds to that."

"Seeing as we're here for the mission that he initially requested you'd think this meeting would have already started," Sasuke coolly noted from where he sat next to Sakura.

Before anyone could respond to the Uchiha's remark the door opened slowly as a woman and two men made their way into the room. The woman was rather plain with her brown hair in a large bun and dark eyes behind a pair of glasses. Wearing a simply cut skirt and blouse and carrying a number of folders she had the look of a clerk to her. The younger of the two men had a hard look to him as the light reflected off his bald head. Wearing a simple uniform of a blue coat, white shirt, and grey pants the man was easily identifiable as belonging to the local constabulary. The last person to enter the room looked to be incredibly old even though his formal kimono was decked out in vivacious colors. With a white beard that extended to his waistline and more wrinkles then a raisin the man seemed barely able to shuffle into the room.

"Hmm, now who are all of you? If you're here for a permit then you need to go down the hall and fill out the proper forms," the old man said as he stopped and stared at the team of shinobi through heavily lidded eyes. "I don't care for children, so go sell your damn chocolates somewhere else."

"Yamaguchi-sama, this is the team from Konoha," the young woman quickly supplied as she took up position next to the old magistrate. "The team here to help us with our smuggling problems…the team _you_ requested through Minister Matsuda?"

Yamaguchi seemed to ponder the woman's explanation for a moment before exclaiming cheerfully, "Oh, yes yes! Dear me, I didn't recognize you there for a moment, you shinobi sure are a rascally bunch."

"Um, Yamaguchi-sama…their mission?" the young woman hinted cautiously.

"I'll leave that up to you, Siri-chan. I'm sure you and Ren-kun will be able to handle it," the old magistrate commented as he began to leave the room. "There are far more pressing matters to deal with, yes, far more pressing. I'll see the two of you for lunch."

"_Just how old is he?"_ the genin of Team 7 wondered simultaneously as they watched the old man leave.

Turning to face the four shinobi the clerk like woman sighed and said, "My apologies, Yamaguchi-sama is a fairly busy man."

"We understand," Kakashi noted simply.

"We would request a certain amount of discretion from you regarding this matter," the grizzled constable remarked slowly.

"Of course," the jounin responded, knowing well how the game was played.

"Good," the glasses wearing woman supplied. "I am Siri, magistrate Yamaguchi's chief of staff. This is my brother Renji, the head of the port's constabulary. We were the ones who sent the mission request to Lady Shijimi and Minister Matsuda under Yamaguchi-sama's name."

Nodding in a knowing fashion Kakashi remained quiet. It was typical for most ministers and magistrates to have a small group of loyal retainers. Most of the time those retainers acted as advisors, working behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly. In certain cases though, these retainers exuded far more power and influence than usual. Be it for good or ill, such remained to be seen in this particular case. Either way Kakashi knew he would have to note it in his report to the Sandaime. The old Hokage would take any necessary action afterwards.

"Recently the logbooks of the port have been showing certain discrepancies. Most of the cases have been tracked down and explained as clerical errors, what with the busy spring and all," Renji noted gruffly. "However, we haven't been able to explain one set of cases. The cargo manifests say one thing, the logbooks another, and our local longshoremen something completely different."

"What exactly are you dealing with Renji-san?" Kakashi asked.

Reaching into a small briefcase that he had carried into the room the head constable pulled out a small brick wrapped in brown, wax paper. Unfolding the paper wrapping Renji exposed a granular brick that was a sickly yellow in color.

"This is part of a larger brick. One of my men accidentally stumbled onto it when we raided a local dive looking for a couple of pickpockets," Renji reported calmly. "One of the buggers had this on him. We grilled him for hours, but the only thing he could tell us is that it he filched it from the back of a wagon that was being loaded down on the docks."

"What is it?" Sakura asked as she looked curiously at the block.

"We ran a couple of tests on it. Near as we can tell it's a highly refined form of opium mixed with a number of other chemical compounds. We have yet to identify all of them," Siri supplied as she opened one of the manila folders she had been carrying. "We sent portions of the brick onto the capital and Konoha for further testing."

"Our own tests confirmed your results, but our people are still struggling with the full breakdown," Kakashi said as he handed a small scroll to the clerk like woman. "This stuff is definitely a drug of some sort, testing shows that it's nearly ten times more potent and addictive then regular opium."

Having moved over to sit in the chair on the other side of Sasuke before the presentation began Naruto noticed his friend tense up at Kakashi's report. It had only been about half a year since the Uchiha had gotten clean. This sudden confrontation would test to see if he could keep it that way.

"We have a certain understanding with the local yakuza. Their Oyabun has professed having no part in this," Renji remarked flatly. "In fact he has offered us considerable assistance and helped us to round up several petty thieves that were trying to sell the stuff. He's rather disgusted by drugs and is a bit furious that someone is trying to poach on his territory. He suspects it could be rival trying to build up a base to supplant him and that is something we'd rather wish to avoid."

Yakuza were an odd feature of society in the Elemental Countries. They could be divided into two categories: bad and tolerable. Both groups were definitely criminals, but it was the way they acted as criminals that the distinction was made. Tolerable yakuza had a set of standards and carried themselves with a certain dignity that was based on a system of honor that rivaled that of many noble houses and their samurai. This system was strictly enforced and violations of that system carried an incredibly steep price. The same system was supposed to govern bad yakuza, but to members of those groups it was paid only lip-service. Making money was the goal of both groups, but tolerable yakuza would do so only in a manner that caused the least bit of harm to the status quo. To them support of the local populace was worth quite more and one could often find members utilizing their criminal connections to better the community. Bad yakuza felt no such compulsion, taking any advantage they could to make money. Both groups were dangerous, but tolerable yakuza styled themselves as being businessmen and would only be vicious if given no other choice. Bad yakuza on the other hand were more akin to a pack of wild dogs, well organized and always vicious to those both in and out of the pack. It was little wonder that shadow alliances were often created between governments and tolerable yakuza.

"_Better the devil you know,"_ Naruto mentally noted as he recalled meeting several yakuza Oyabun when traveling with his hijiji.

"We've combined intelligence from Renji's constables and the yakuza to try and get an accurate picture of the situation," Siri remarked as she pulled out a map that had several buildings circled in red on it. "From what we are able to tell each of these warehouses are holding stockpiles of suspicious cargo, but estimates say that only one of them is what we are looking for. Unfortunately because of the economic boom a majority of our inspectors and constables are tied up and being overworked. We just don't have the manpower to launch a major raid on all of these warehouses at the same time."

"And you can't go about it piecemeal because if you don't get it right on the first one the smugglers are going to know almost instantly," Kakashi remarked as he examined the map.

"Exactly," Renji commented. "If we hit the wrong one the smugglers and their product are going to disappear before we realize it. That's why we need you and your team to do some covert reconnaissance. My constables will be preparing to sweep in and perform the arrests once you confirm the location of the target, though we would appreciate it if you helped out in making sure that no one slips away when we come in. If everything goes as planned we'll catch the whole lot and be able to discover to not only discover where this new drug is coming from but also who is supplying it."

Nodding in agreement Kakashi began to discuss what the most effective plan. Listening intently to the details the genin of Team 7 felt a mixture of emotions sweep over them. All three felt anxious as this would be their first _real_ mission, but two of them were also nervous. For Sakura it was because this was a _real_ mission and not something as simple as painting a fence, carrying groceries, or finding a certain lost cat. The responsibility here was far greater and the consequences of failure far from trivial. To the pink haired girl this was the chance to prove herself to her teammates. Sasuke had a similar reasoning as Sakura, but his was wrapped up in the reminder that came from what their target was. To the raven haired boy this was the chance to put his shame behind him for good. Not nervous in the least Naruto anxiously awaited for the hunt to begin.

* * *

Moonlight from the slightly fuller crescent shaped moon glinted off the surface of the water in the harbor. In the alleys between the large warehouses that light created eerie shadows as it hit stacks of crates. Stepping out of one of those shadows pink hair was illuminated for only a second before its owner climber onto a crate and in through the small window that she had knocked ajar.

"_And here I was worried that this would be hard,"_ Sakura mentally congratulated herself. _"I bet Ino would have gotten caught easily."_

Making her way over the tops of several long rows of crates the pink haired kunoichi I stopped and laid flat on her stomach. Below her were two guards security guards aimlessly talking as they waited for their shift to be over.

The plan that Kakashi and Renji had come up with was rather simple. Seeing that there were just under a dozen warehouses that needed to be inspected the jounin had decided to divide his team into pairs to cover at least two warehouses a night. While Sasuke and Kakashi were several blocks over investigating one warehouse Sakura and Naruto were together inspecting a second. If neither pair found anything all four would regroup and then move on towards a pair of new warehouses. The first night had seen Team 7 search four warehouses before retiring to get some sleep just as dawn began to break. It had felt odd to Sakura that she was going to be sleeping through much of the day, but after spending an entire night skulking about she had lost that feeling. It was now night number two and everything felt natural to the young kunoichi as she moved to inspect the first warehouse of the evening.

"_I wonder how Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei are doing,"_ the girl wondered as she tried to listen in on the two guards. _"And for that matter where's Naruto? He's supposed to be helping me here!"_

"_**Cha! When we get a hold of him he'll be sorry for disappearing!"**_ the more aggressive part of Sakura suddenly chimed in.

Naruto and Sakura had arrived at their target destination and made quick work of searching the outlying buildings. However, when the pair had begun to move towards the main warehouse the whiskered blond had suddenly told Sakura to go on ahead without him, citing he wanted to check something out. His little disappearance had left Sakura to sneak into the warehouse alone.

"_He better not be goofing off somewhere," _Sakura thought as she watched the two security guards resume their patrol.

Climbing down from her perch Sakura pulled a kunai from the holster on her thigh. Using the sharpened steel the girl pried off the top of a crate just like she had done over several dozen times previously.

"_Nothing,"_ Sakura noted as she pulled some packing material away to reveal nothing but umbrellas.

Despite not seeing anything Sakura coated her hands in chakra and felt around the inside of the crate for any sign of a false side or bottom, just as she had been shown how to do by Kakashi. Unfortunately the crate like the many others she had inspected showed no signs of concealing anything illicit. Replacing the top and carefully tapping it back into place with the ring on the kunai Sakura moved on to search a few more crates. Finding nothing in those as well the girl made her way back to the window she had used to enter the building undetected.

"_Other than a few guards there's not much to speak in terms of security," _the kunoichi mentally noted as she moved out the window and made her way towards another that was towards the back of the building. _"At least they're smart enough to lock the doors."_

The locked doors were really the only obstacle that Sakura had come across. Each warehouse she had been to had a very similar layout, with walls dividing the building into sections. Once inside a building the only way past those walls was to open one of two doors, a large one designed for cargo to fit through and a smaller one designed to only let people through. Opening the large one wasn't an option as it required a person to pull a set of noisy chains and winches. The smaller doors only had a simple deadbolt, but for Sakura that was just as bad. The pink haired girl could pick locks, but it took her a good amount of time to do so. Seeing as she neither wanted to get caught by a patrolling guard nor spend most of her night quietly working on doors Sakura had found a rather simple alternative. Since the windows of the warehouses were a good twenty feet off the ground and required a hooked pole to open from the inside no one had ever seemed to think about actually installing locks on them. However, with crates stacked high around the warehouses due to the bustling economy Sakura had no problem climbing up and popping a window ajar in order to quietly slip into the different sections of the building.

"_Alright, last section,"_ the pink haired girl realized as she slipped through the opened window.

Taking a moment to halt on top of a crate Sakura switched on the throat mike of the small radio that she wore. The radio was the same one she had worn when Team 7 had chased down Tora and every member of the team was currently wearing their own. The small sets were rather ingenious as the throat mikes were sensitive enough that one could whisper and still be heard as clear as day on the other end. Each pair was on a separate frequency and right now Sakura was hoping that Naruto hadn't turned his off completely.

"Blade this is Variable," the kunoichi whispered, recalling the codenames that had been selected for the two while on the sneaking mission. "I'm almost finished so you better get your butt over here. I'm not doing this by myself the rest of the night."

Listening intently to the small, singular earpiece in her left ear Sakura waited to hear the familiar voice of the whiskered blond. Giving a sigh after only hearing static Sakura turned off her microphone and made her way down to the floor of the warehouse. Going through the same routine of opening a couple crates and checking their contents the girl sighed as she once again found nothing but purely legal items. She had really been hoping to be the one to find the confirmation they needed. Moving out the window she had entered and stopping on a crate outside Sakura tried her radio again, but this time keyed it over to transmit on the general frequency setup for Team 7.

"Book this is Variable, no joy here," Sakura said in the code for having found nothing in the assigned warehouse as she tried to contact Kakashi. "I've lost contact with Blade. Do you or Iron have contact with him?"

Waiting patiently the girl slipped into the shadow of the building. Once again hearing nothing but static Sakura was now becoming worried. Hearing nothing from Naruto was odd, but now it seemed she had no contact with any of her team members. This wasn't a good sign.

"_Where are they?"_ the kunoichi wondered, slightly panicked.

"Iron this is Variable. Do you read me?" the young genin said a little louder as she adjusted the volume on her earpiece and checked to make sure she was on the right frequency.

Not hearing a thing other then static and confirming she was on the right channel Sakura was now even more worried. Keeping her microphone on, just in case, the kunoichi decided the best course of action would be to make her way to the rendezvous point. Renji and his constables would be there waiting and hopefully they would know what was going on. Slipping away from the building and moving towards the fenced off perimeter Sakura breathed a silent prayer that everything was alright.

"_Don't panic girl, you're a kunoichi now,"_ the pink haired genin tried to rationalize. _"I'll get to the rendezvous and Renji-san will…?!"_

Coming around the corner of one of the smaller buildings just inside the fence Sakura collided with something. Rebounding easily the girl's eyes went wide as she realized that she was now looking directly at a surprised guard.

"Oh shit!" the girl barely breathed out as her body seized up on her.

"Hey! What are…?!" the guard began to say before suddenly going into a stiff silence.

Preparing to take her chance to run Sakura suddenly felt someone grab her right wrist. Turning with a start the girl felt a hand slap over her mouth to muffle her surprised yell.

"Shh!" Naruto hissed as he looked into the green eyes of his teammate.

Unsure what was happening Sakura felt herself get turned back around. The guard that she had run into had yet to move or make a sound. Wondering what was going on the girl felt her eyes open wider as the guard suddenly blinked and looked directly at where she and Naruto were standing. Feeling Naruto remove his hand from her wrist Sakura watched as the boy reached out to almost wave at the man before them.

"There's nothing here," Naruto commanded in a heavy whisper as he waved two fingers at the guard.

Hearing the words Sakura felt herself starting to become lightheaded. That was until she heard the guard speak.

"There's nothing here," the guard said mechanically before walking past the two genin.

Feeling the hand removed from her mouth Sakura was about ask what had happened when Naruto wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and picked her up bridal style. Blushing at the close contact, especially at having the blond boy's right hand and arm perched just under her butt, Sakura found herself at a loss for words. Before she could find them the pink haired kunoichi felt the world about her suddenly speed up before coming to a sudden halt.

"This should be far enough," the whiskered blond stated as he set his teammate down.

Looking around Sakura found that she was now on the top of a building two blocks away from the warehouse she had just been scouting.

"Are you okay Sakura?" Naruto asked as he knelt down next to the stunned girl. "Shunpo isn't an easy way to…."

'_Smack!'_

His head turning hard with the force of the slap Naruto dropped onto this butt before exclaiming, "What the hell was that for!"

Giving the boy an incredulous look Sakura yelled, "Where the hell have you been? I tried contacting you, but…but you…but you didn't…!"

Trailing off the pink haired girl pulled her legs into her chest and began to sniffle as tears formed in her eyes.

"You disappeared on me and…and I had to do everything by myself," the kunoichi said as a few tears began to make their way down her cheeks. "Then you just showed up out of nowhere when I ran into that guard. I…I wanted to…."

At the moment Sakura was emotionally torn. Part of her was angry that Naruto had disappeared on her. Another part of her was proud that she had done almost the entire mission by herself. That same part was also mad that the blond had showed up right when she had gotten caught. Did he think that she couldn't handle things herself? Did he think her too weak? Why had he disappeared? A whole host of questions warred in Sakura's mind. Feeling the hot wetness of tears on her face Sakura began to sink deeper into herself when suddenly she felt a pair of arms circle her.

Rubbing small circles on her back Naruto whispered, "I'm sorry."

Taking a moment to just let her worry go Sakura enjoyed took some comfort in the words and the embrace. Feeling Naruto let go of her Sakura dabbed at her eyes a little before looking back over to her teammate.

"Why didn't you respond when I called you?" the pink haired genin asked quietly.

"Call me? I was trying to call you after we split up," Naruto responded. "Kakashi and Sasuke also tried, but we…."

"What do you mean? I tried them as well and got nothing," Sakura said quickly.

Getting an odd look on his face Naruto moved behind his teammate. Her face blushing once again as she felt his hand at the small of her back Sakura suddenly remembered how the boy had picked her up and where his one hand had almost been. Getting ready to slap him in embarrassment the girl was stopped when she suddenly heard the static in her earpiece replaced by the concerned voice of Kakashi.

"Sakura? Come in Sakura!" the jounin called over the radio, codenames forgotten at the moment.

"I've got her Kakashi-sensei," Naruto responded as Sakura sat in surprise. "It seems the transponder in her radio is bad. I'm replacing it right now."

"Good to hear that," Kakashi replied, the tension in his voice disappearing in a sigh. "Make your way back to the rendezvous. We'll meet you there."

"Will do sensei," the whiskered blond answered.

Switching off his throat mike Naruto caught the puzzled look that Sakura was suddenly giving him.

"Next time we use the radios make sure you plug your earpiece and your microphone into the right sockets," the Shugorei heir remarked calmly.

Realizing that the reason she had not been able to contact anyone by radio was due to such a stupid mistake Sakura felt her face color in embarrassment.

"I…I'm sorry," the girl said.

"It's alright, you just gave us a scare is all," Naruto said with a reassuring smile before helping his teammate to her feet. "Let's get to the rendezvous."

Giving a nod Sakura suddenly paused and asked, "Naruto, what…what did you do to that guard? He saw me and then…."

"I used a Genjutsu my hijiji taught me," the Shugorei boy explained with a sigh. "The guard won't remember we were even there."

"Oh, okay," Sakura accepted quietly.

Waiting for the pink haired girl to show that she was ready to go Naruto felt his conscience cringe slightly at his little lie. While it was true that he had used the Kyogi no Tama to trick the guard into leaving he wasn't good enough with the skill to make the man completely forget the two genin's presence. That was the reason why after the guard had walked past them and disappeared behind a stack of crates his head had been hit hard by a pair of Kage Bunshin. The clones would position the man next to some fallen crates and with luck when he awoke after being discovered he would think the whole memory to be a delusion caused by an accident. If not his discoverers would assure him of that since no evidence to the contrary would be found. However, right now Sakura needed to be reassured and simple answers would be best for that. No need to make her worry or feel anymore embarrassed then she already was

Preparing to head out towards the rendezvous Naruto stopped as Sakura spoke up once again.

"Um, Naruto?" the girl asked quietly. "How did we get to the top of this building so quickly?

Sighing once again Naruto answered, "It's an ability called Shunpo. Basically it allows me to cross distance very quickly using chakra. You probably felt a little odd after I set you down, but that's normal since you've never experienced it before. Now let's get to the…."

"Uh, Naruto?" Sakura asked once again, interrupting the boy this time. "Do you…do you think you could use that again to get us to the rendezvous?"

Turning to Sakura to give her an annoyed look Naruto was about to deny her when Sakura spoke again.

"You know you left me alone with no support in that warehouse, right?" the kunoichi said with a sly smile.

Grumbling to slightly Naruto bent down and hooked his arms as Sakura moved to piggyback on him. Standing the boy suddenly felt the girl dig the heels of her sandals lightly into his sides.

"Giddy-up pony," Sakura commanded playfully as she recalled the horses her grandfather raised and had taught her to ride.

His left eye twitching in annoyance Naruto contemplated dropping the girl hard on her ass, but ruled it out after a moment. It would only make things more difficult and right now he wanted to get to the rendezvous and on with the night. Focusing his chakra the Shugorei heir decided that if Sakura wanted a ride he'd give her one. Fazing out of sight as he sped off a feminine cry of surprise was heard.

* * *

Kakashi was currently leaning against a wall outside of the storage building that he and Renji had established as the staging and rendezvous point. Tilting his head backwards so he could stare at the stars overhead the jounin let out a tired breath. It was only the first C-rank mission for Team 7 and yet a technical glitch had caused him to believe he had lost a genin already. Though the worst hadn't occurred the normally apathetic jounin was still a bundle of nerves at the moment.

"_Is this a sign? Did I take them out too early?" _the half-masked jounin silently wondered. _"I can hear Asuma and Gai right now. I got lucky tonight."_

"Sensei?" Sasuke inquired as he approached the older ninja. "A group of police just got back."

Kakashi let out a sigh as he looked down at his student. The young Uchiha hadn't said what the constables had with them, but he already knew. It was the reason that Naruto had left Sakura for a moment.

"_Naruto may have gotten us something major, but I'm still going to have to reprimand him,"_ the jounin silently noted.

As if bidden by mere thought the whiskered blond suddenly appeared almost out of nowhere. Despite having seen the blond use the technique numerous times Sasuke still jumped slightly at the sudden appearance. The oddest thing was the pink head of hair that was resting on his shoulder…giggling?

Sliding off Naruto's back Sakura stumbled slightly due to being completely unused to the feeling of Shunpo. Reaching over the kunoichi steadied herself on the blond boy's shoulder.

"Good pony," Sakura let out as she patted Naruto's head lightly.

Ignoring the giggling girl's comment Naruto focused his attention onto his sensei and other teammate. From what the blond could tell the grey haired man was torn between being cross and amused. Sasuke on the other hand was giving him a very odd look through narrowed eyes.

"So, here she is," Naruto remarked as he noted Sakura wobble a little when she took a step. "Sakura-chan went and scouted the entire place by herself."

At the addition of chan to her name Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but fell quiet as she saw the scowl that Sasuke was directing towards Naruto.

"She did, did she?" Kakashi asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "At least she remembered the importance of her job."

"Oh come on sensei," Naruto protested easily. "I may have just given us our biggest clue. How was I to know that her transponder would decide to fry itself?"

"That's not the point and you know it Naruto," the jounin charged sternly. "You left your teammate behind. You're lucky that it was just a technical glitch and not something worse. I do expect you to remember the lessons that I teach you and as long as you are on this team to follow them."

"I understand," the Shugorei heir replied, accepting his chastisement…if only for the moment.

"Kakashi-sensei, what was that about us getting a clue?" Sakura asked, having regained her balance for the most part.

"Sasuke and I were just about to talk about it, but it probably would be easier to just show you," the half-masked ninja supplied.

Leading his team into the building Kakashi came upon the gruff looking head of the port's constabulary. Renji was quietly observing as a bound security guard was being forced into a chair.

"I have to say it was quite impressive that one of your kids caught this guy with a whole load," the head constable commented. "My men are cataloging the stuff right now, but what interests me more is what this little piece of shit can tell us."

Seeing Sakura about to ask what was going on Naruto stepped up and explained, "I caught a glimpse of this guy when we were moving towards the main warehouse. He was very jumpy so I decided to see why and followed him. Turns out he had a whole wagon full of the drug we've been looking for. However, instead of carting it away he was trying to bring it to the warehouse."

"But I didn't find any sign of drugs in the warehouse?" the kunoichi protested in confusion.

"You weren't supposed to, at least not yet that is," Renji remarked coolly. "My guess is that our guard here was given the task of putting a shipment of drugs in the warehouse to try and throw us off the real trail. Too bad he got caught because now he's going to be a good little boy and tell us exactly what we want to know."

"The fuck I am!" the bound guard exclaimed violently.

"Oh I know you are," the gruff constable noted with a almost evil grin. "You see right now you have very few options. You could decide not to tell us and we'll simply charge you with the crimes we already have against you, plus a few others we can conveniently add. There'll be a trial and you'll go to jail."

"I'll beat the rap!" the guard announced defiantly.

"I doubt it, but even if you do you won't be safe. Your name and face will be all over the place. Everyone will know who you are, especially our friendly neighborhood yakuza. They have their own brand of justice that conveniently ignores certain failings of the system. I assure you my constables won't even notice when you go missing," Renji noted grimly, starting to see the drug trafficker begin to break. "However, this option doesn't get me what I want so I direct your attention to option two. While it would be rather interesting to see how long you can withstand a beating from some of my boys I have something far better here at the moment. These shinobi have techniques that will get me what I want with little fuss on their part. Of course you'll be left in a state reminiscent of a toddler, but that doesn't bother me at all."

"You…you wouldn't, you can't," the bound man stuttered.

"I can and will," the head of the port's constables remarked. "Of course you could decide to tell me what I want. You do that and it's into the witness protection for you. A new name, a new job, a new life, hell even a new face if you want it. That's a far better option than rotting in prison, ending up chum in the harbor, or shitting in diapers for the rest of your life."

Having his options laid out for him so bluntly it was little surprise what the former security guard chose. By the time he was finished spilling his guts, giving Renji and Team 7 all the info they needed, the early morning rays of the sun were already poking over the horizon.

* * *

Strict structuring was a hallmark of the Hyuuga Clan. When many outsiders heard this their thoughts immediately turned to what they knew of the clan's rigid hierarchy and traditions. While these points were publicly the most prominent the idea of structure held another meaning to the Byakugan users. This private meaning concerned the clan's passion for architecture and design. Indeed it had been the Hyuuga who had helped to design the entire layout of Konohagakure, from how the Hokage Tower should be built to how the streets should be arrayed. However, one of their favorite achievements was the design and construction of their own clan compound.

Easily the largest compound in Konoha the Hyuuga had designed the place to strike awe into their infrequent visitors. At the same time the compound had also been designed to take advantage of the natural beauty created by the sun that the paled eyed clan so fervently cherished. Arrayed almost like a sundial the home of the clan was laid out so that areas would be properly illuminated or shaded at desired times. Standing in the entrance to a small garden that had the golden afternoon sun beaming down upon it Hyuuga Hinata tried to focus on that particular set of thoughts rather than on the form of her father sitting in careful meditation.

"What do you need?" Hyuuga Hiashi demanded in his strong voice, not even bothering to open one of his eyes to look at his eldest daughter.

Taking a step into her father's personal garden Hinata tried to sum up her courage, answering, "Otousama…my…my team, Kurenai-sensei. She…got a new mission for us."

If Hyuuga Hiashi had heard the soft voice of his daughter he did not show any sign of it at the moment. Sitting with his legs crossed beneath him the head of the clan looked as if he was still in deep meditation rather then listening to the news his daughter had brought him.

"It's…it's a C-rank," the pale eyed girl added slowly. "We…we're escorting a bridge builder back…back to Wave Country. There we will…we'll help him to finish his bridge."

Waiting for her father to say something, anything in acknowledgement Hinata felt her heart drop when he remained silent. The wondrous feeling she had experienced when her father had come to her graduation from the Academy had faded quickly after that day. The elder Hyuuga had lectured her about being a proud member of the Hyuuga when he had learned of her team assignment, but that had been just as cold as before. With the news that she would now be taking on a C-rank mission so soon after becoming a genin Hinata had hoped that her father would be proud of her. That hope was now rapidly falling away.

"When do you leave?" Hiashi asked, a certain finality in his voice.

"To…tomorrow afternoon," Hinata replied, her heart perking up at the thought that maybe her father did care. "It…the mission will take a week, maybe a little longer."

Still sitting in his meditative position with his eyes closed Hyuuga Hiashi remained silent for a moment before saying, "Do not embarrass the clan on this mission."

Hearing the words Hinata's small hope shattered once again. Giving a quick bow the small girl turned and exited the garden, hoping not to show the small tears that were gathering in her eyes.

Sitting for a few moments after his eldest daughter had left Hyuuga Hiashi finally opened his eyes. Reaching into the sleeve of his robe the head of the Hyuuga pulled out two sticks of incense. Using some of his chakra to set the tips a smolder the pale eyed man turned to set them before the small shrine that sat behind him. Shifting into a kneeling position the stern head of Clan Hyuuga began to utter a set of whispered prayers.

* * *

In a different garden, one that was miles away from Konoha, the late afternoon sun also shown down. Moving through a set of stretches and light exercises to awaken his sleepy muscles Naruto felt the salty taste of the sea on his tongue as he worked to control his breathing. Kakashi had let his genin get some extra sleep. The jounin wanted his genin well rested for the work they would be doing once evening was upon them.

"Aren't you going to join Sasuke and Sakura for breakfast?" the grey haired jounin asked with a certain degree of amusement.

Moving to finish a set of pushups Naruto replied, "I will, once I finish. While I can't go through my usual morning routine I can't let some things slip."

"Just promise me you won't start taking it too far," Kakashi said, remembering the training antics of a green spandex loving jounin. "And stay away from green spandex, that's an order."

Doing a few cool down stretches Naruto cocked an eyebrow in confusion at the jounin's remark, but shrugged it off as another of the man's oddities.

"So, this will be the big thing tonight," the whiskered blond stated.

"Yeah," the half-masked jounin noted as he moved to sit on a bench. "Renji-san confirmed all the information that we got last night."

"The plan's going to be changing then, right?" Naruto asked, finding a seat on the grass.

"Yeah," the jounin confirmed.

The information that the guard had given them was more than what they had hoped for, but that gave them a whole new list of problems. Topping the list was a single name…the Gato Shipping Company. The man behind the company, Gato, was a major businessman. Rumors abounded that the man had made most of his money as a criminal and now used his company as a front for his illegal dealings, though no one had ever been able to confirm it. The man had significant pull because of his wealth with a number of politicians in the Fire Daimyo's court and that now put this mission in a very precarious position.

"We're going to need to confirm the drugs are actually there before Renji-san and his men can move in to make arrests," Kakashi said slowly. "On top of that we also have the problem of needing to do this quickly. If what that man said is true then they'll start moving the stockpile out tonight. There will be major repercussions if that stuff hits the streets."

Nodding in understanding Naruto asked, "So how are we going to do this?"

"I'd prefer if it wasn't us at all, but that ain't going to happen," Kakashi noted with a sigh. "I don't want to do this, but we're going to need to split up and run solo tonight."

It wasn't an easy decision to make and considering the near miss with Sakura the previous night Kakashi fervently wished that he had other options. However, there was no other option. Kakashi had known, deep down in his gut, that one day that his genin would have to run solo, but he had hoped that moment would have been farther off.

"One of you will sneak in and confirm the stockpile, something that won't be easy considering the heavy security that has been confirmed around the place. Another will be supporting the men Renji-san has ready to descend upon the warehouse once confirmation is received," the jounin said as he laid out the rough aspects of a plan. "The last one will be assisting Renji-san's men when they move to arrest Gato's local manager. I'll be at the command post to coordinate and provide support to whoever needs it the most if things go bad."

"I'll do the sneak and peek," the blond remarked calmly. "It has no quick support like the others and I've got the best solo skills of all three of us. If something goes wrong I'll fare better than Sasuke or Sakura would."

Nodding in acceptance Kakashi felt slightly sick to his stomach. Naruto was right in his assessment, but that didn't make it any easier. The young blond was one of the few remaining links he had to what he held as family.

"I'd suggest that Sasuke be the one to accompany the police sent to arrest the manager and Sakura be the one who stands by with the force intended to make the warehouse arrests," the Shugorei heir supplied.

"Those were my thoughts as well," the jounin-sensei of Team 7 confirmed. "Sakura is the least experienced and skilled of you three. Putting her in place with the warehouse force makes the most sense considering it will be the largest and best prepared."

What the jounin didn't say and what Naruto already knew concerned Sasuke. The Uchiha would want to do the infiltration and being passed over on it would hurt his pride a bit. Sending him after an important target like the manager would do well to sooth that pride. Sasuke would accept it because the police force would be small and the chance for him to show his skills would be greater. However, what Naruto knew and what Kakashi didn't know was that the Uchiha heir would also accept the role for another reason, his worry about drugs. Sasuke had made a great deal of progress, but he was still uneasy about facing his former addiction without support. By confronting those who were orchestrating the drug ring Sasuke would be able to take another step in finally banishing that particular personal demon.

"Okay then. I guess I should go get something to eat," Naruto noted with a small burst of energy, an attempt to break the tense atmosphere.

Watching the blond boy get up Kakashi interrupted him before he got too far.

"Naruto, I know how you love a challenge, but I want you to remember something," the grey haired jounin said. "If you experience a problem I want you to get out of there as quickly as you can and regroup with the team."

"What about the mission?" the Shugorei heir asked.

"Don't worry about it. Renji-san and I talked about a few contingency plans. We might not be able to implicate Gato, but we'll at least stop the drugs," Kakashi answered. "Remember that the lives of you and your teammates are far more precious than any mission."

Giving a silent nod of acknowledgment Naruto left the garden and made his way to late afternoon breakfast that his fellow genin were already enjoying. Still sitting in the garden Kakashi let out a sigh, praying that everything would work out and he was just being overly cautious.

* * *

The members of Clan Shugorei loved a challenge…always had, always would. Naruto was no exception to this and as he stared through a pair of binoculars at his target he fought down the urge to simply storm the place. While he was more than certain he could easily do so, what with his Shugorei training and the use of Kage Bunshin, it would violate the plan and upset Kakashi.

"_I hope he's not going soft on us,"_ Naruto mentally noted as he watched several security guards.

"_**He is most likely just concerned for the well being of you and your friends,"**_ Konoe stated gruffly. _**"Your little side-quest last night and the complication with the girl you call 'Sakura' is most likely the source."**_

"_Yeah," _the Shugorei mentally responded. _"I should apologize again for that…after the mission of course."_

"_**Of course,"**_ the Zanpakuto spirit replied. _**"But perhaps now would be a good time to check in with him?"**_

Heeding the entity's advice Naruto switched his throat mike on. It was one of the few pieces of equipment he was carrying.

"Book this is Blade, I have the target in sight," the blond spoke softly, keeping the binoculars to his eyes.

"We copy that Blade. Variable and Iron are standing by for confirmation," Kakashi's voice crackled over the earpiece. "Opposition?"

Taking a good look at the men posing as security guards through his binoculars Naruto answered, "They're wearing guard uniforms, but the way they carry themselves screams 'hired thug'. I'd bet good money a couple of them are ronin who fell too far down the ladder or mercenaries."

"Are we still viable?" the jounin asked over the radio, the level of his concern not bleeding through.

"We are viable. Advise Iron and Variable of the situation and tell them to be careful," the blond remarked, knowing that his teammates could have their own encounters.

"Understood Blade," Kakashi confirmed. "Iron and Variable have been advised. You are good to proceed."

"Roger," the Shugorei heir noted.

Clicking off his microphone Naruto pulled his binoculars down and stuffed them into the small pouch he was wearing on his hip. Bare foot and wearing an almost skin tight dark blue shirt and shorts the Shugorei heir blended well into the darkness that covered the harbor. Naruto had left his heavier clothing back at Buntaro's. Carrying only a supply pouch on his hip, a kunai holster on his right thigh, his radio, and Konoe strapped across his back one would think the blond to be far more vulnerable than usual. They would be wrong. Climbing down the pier he had been standing on Naruto made sure all of his equipment was properly secured, especially his supply pouch which held his Konoha forehead protector.

"_Don't want to lose it and have to go diving for it later," _the boy noted calmly, knowing the metal would have glinted in the moonlight.

Before the night had begun Naruto had gotten a number of details from Renji about how tight security was around the target warehouse. Having surveyed it for himself Naruto had talked with Kakashi about what would be the best method for sneaking in. The most viable option that had been discussed was to swim in via the small boat slip that ran directly into the warehouse. This was the reason why Naruto wasn't carrying his normal amount of equipment and why he was now slowly slipping into the water at the bottom of the pier.

"Wow! Damn that's cold!" Naruto whispered harshly, more out of habit than anything else.

Sinking up to his neck in the salt water the blond boy began to slowly swim to where the entrance to the boat slip should be. Pulling through the water and making sure not to splash Naruto began to wonder about what else might be swimming near him.

"_I hope there aren't any sharks nearby,"_ the container of the Kyuubi thought, a bit worried. _"Getting bitten in two…. Damn, that would suck!"_

"_**It would indeed, but at least find comfort in the fact that the demon's chakra would repair you and allow your escape,"**_ Konoe supplied.

"_I thought I was supposed to wary of old fuzz-butt?"_ Naruto fired back.

"_**Wary yes, but he does have some uses,"**_ the Zanpakuto replied.

Accepting the answer Naruto continued to swim. In some ways this reminded him of the time his Hijiji had taught him how to swim. It had been one of the scariest and most trying moments of the time the two had spent together. For Jinjiro because Naruto had almost drowned several times and for Naruto because despite the close encounters Jinjiro had insisted that he keep at it. In the end it the hard work had paid off and Naruto had been swimming as if he had been born in water.

"_I really got Jinjiro-hijiji soaked a number of times," _Naruto thought as he recalled how he had often used hiding underwater to try and get an edge on the elder Shugorei in spars. _"Too bad we never got to walking on water."_

It was one of the lessons that the blond boy had looked forward to ever since he had gotten out of his tantrum phase after meeting the old Shugorei. To walk on water was one of the personal goals that Naruto had and knew that doing so would have made his Hijiji even prouder. Unfortunately he had only been able to master tree climbing before the old man had died in battle.

Dismissing his melancholy Naruto realized he was approaching the entrance to the boat slip. Taking a few quick breaths the blond boy worked to highly oxygenate his blood before taking one large one and disappearing under the water. Calmly kicking and pulling as the salt stung at his eyes Naruto swam around a number of submerged rocks and other pieces of junk that were just outside the slip and would have made it impossible for the deep hulled boats of the port's constables to enter. Using the slip to enter the warehouse the Shugorei heir finally came up to the surface next to one of the concrete sides of the warehouse's internal pier, he was just less than thirty-six yards away from where he had submerged. Despite his lungs aching and burning for air Naruto let his breath out slowly so as not to create a loud noise.

"_Looks like no one around at the moment. I guess with the guards outside they thought they'd spot anyone trying to get in," _the whiskered genin noted silently as he looked around from where he treaded water.

Swimming over to where a metal ladder curved over the concrete and down into the water Naruto slowly hauled himself out, wary for any sign that someone was nearby. Moving quickly to hide behind a stack of crates the blond was happy to note that he had left only a few drips of water behind him.

Clicking on his radio Naruto whispered, "Book this is Blade, I'm in."

"Understood, good luck," Kakashi responded simply.

Shutting of his microphone Naruto smiled and began to make his way into the heart of the warehouse. The info that the ex-guard had given them said that the stockpile was there. It was now time to find out for sure.

* * *

"Well he's in," Kakashi noted flatly as he stared with his single eye through his own set of binoculars.

Standing on the top of a roof several blocks away from the target the jounin was waiting patiently in the impromptu command center that had been established. Renji stood nearby as a small group of constables and a larger radio, ready to send out the word to their comrades to begin making arrests.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. That kid seems to be a natural," Renji commented gruffly. "You wouldn't mind leaving him here? I could use a new recruit that knows what the hell he's doing."

"Sorry, but he's ours," the jounin supplied tiredly.

It was odd how that statement worked. To people like the boy's friends, Kakashi, and the Hokage it confirmed there care and support for the blond. For some of the warhawks on the council it would have meant that Naruto was Konoha's weapon. And for a small portion of Konoha that still hated and feared the boy because of the burden he carried the mere utterance of those words was tantamount to high treason in their eyes.

"You're lucky then," the older man noted.

Accepting the small compliment with a nod Kakashi keyed his throat mike to contact his two other genin.

* * *

"Blade is in, be prepared," Sakura heard in her earpiece as she waited anxiously.

"Seems your teammate is pretty good," the young lieutenant assigned to lead the warehouse arrests commented, having heard over his own radio. "It was barely any time at all since it was confirmed he was preparing to go."

"He's quick like that," the pink haired kunoichi remarked.

Standing in a side street in between a heavy concrete building and a construction site to raise another Sakura waited with the main squad of constables charged with making arrests at the warehouse. Since a large group of police would have been conspicuous the group had been broken down into individual squads. Those other squads were scattered about the area, waiting for the signal just as she was.

"I used to play down here when I was your age," the young lieutenant noted. "My Okaasan always had a fit about it though. She kept saying I'd get hurt down here, what with all the heavy crates and such. She still worries about me even though I have a son of my own now."

Giving a small smile Sakura responded, "My family worries about me too. They were worst when I first decided to become a kunoichi, now they've calmed down about it a bit. I think my Okaasan keeps telling her self this is just a phase I'm going through."

Chuckling heartily the constable remarked, "Well, stick close and I'll make sure she doesn't have need to worry like mine does."

Watching the man walk over to check on how well his men were prepared Sakura couldn't help but wonder how Sasuke was currently doing.

* * *

The house of ill repute was noisy and smelled of sweat, smoke, alcohol, and sex. It made Uchiha Sasuke feel disgusted.

"Don't worry kid, once your teammate gives us the signal we'll barge into the party our friends over there are having," a gruff police sergeant in his civilian disguise said. "After that the boys and I'll spring to get you a one of those nice little honeys."

Sitting with the group of undercover police that were hidden behind a semitransparent curtain Sasuke slid a glance over to where their target was. The manager of the local branch of 'Gato Shipping' was sitting openly in an alcove with several bodyguards and a number of loose women. Supposedly the women were geisha, but to Sasuke's well mannered eyes they weren't anything like the beautifully delicate women depicted in story and art. No, these were whores, plain and simple.

"That won't be necessary," the Uchiha heir noted with a hint of disdain.

A teenage girl, only a few years older then Sasuke himself, dressed in a purple kimono that clashed horribly with her dark turquoise hair was being brought out by the madam who ran the house. While she had gotten a deal from the constables for helping them with their sting operation the middle-aged woman was still conducting business as usual. Right now she was touting how the girl was brand new and certified as a virgin. It made Sasuke sick.

"Oh, I see. You and that little pink haired girl have a thing going," the sergeant stated quietly. "That's okay, she doesn't have to know. Besides, from how she was acting all friendly around that other teammate of yours she's probably two-timing you."

Thankfully his hands were hidden under the table or Sasuke would have reached over to strangle the life from the rude constable in charge of this part of the operation. When he had been told of his part in the night's operation Sasuke had felt a mixture of jealousy and relief. Jealousy because he had wanted the completely solo portion, relief because not getting it meant he wouldn't have to worry as badly about relapsing. However, considering everything the raven haired boy was witnessing at the moment he wasn't so sure about the latter part now.

"_Hurry up and give us confirmation already you baka!"_ Sasuke thought furiously, waiting for something other than static to come over the earpiece and radio he had carefully concealed on his person.

Getting ever more anxious the Uchiha tried his best to ignore the men he was with and certain activities that were occurring around him. As soon as he saw the whiskered blond Shugorei again he was giving the idiot a swift kick in the ass the raven haired genin promised quietly.

* * *

Unaware of the feelings of his teammates at the moment Naruto was quietly making his way over the top of a large row of stacked crates. A number of guards were in the warehouse, but like most non-shinobi they never thought to look up when patrolling…not that they were doing a good job by civilian standards either. Naruto almost found how easy slipping around and over them to be comical. Stopping as he came to the end of the row the boy flattened down onto his stomach.

"_Guess those are probably it,"_ the blond genin thought, seeing a set of crates set off by themselves. _"Just have to confirm…!"_

Having begun to slide down the face of the carte he was on Naruto immediately stopped and held himself there with chakra as a guard suddenly came walking into the open space between him and his goal. Being careful not to make a sound the genin remained half hanging onto the side of the stack of crates he was on as he watched the unexpected guard.

"_Shit! Where'd he come from?" _Naruto wondered, having noticed that few guards were patrolling this far inside the warehouse.

Watching carefully Naruto saw the man dig into his pockets for a moment before bringing his hands up to cup in front of his mouth. Seeing the flicker of flame and then a cherry red coal on the end of a white tick Naruto realized the man was having a cigarette. Smelling the acrid smoke the Shugorei heir's nose crinkled in disgust.

"_Guess I have little choice,"_ the whiskered boy thought, seeing the man sit down underneath him and break out a hip flask and several more cigarettes.

Crawling down the front of the crates upside down, much like a lizard would do, Naruto paused only long enough to draw a kunai from the holster on his thigh. The unfortunate guard barely had time to realize he was going to die when the sharpened steel point pierced through the side of his neck, severing important blood vessels as well as his spine.

Flipping off the crates and landing before the dieing man Naruto darkly whispered, "Consider it a favor, the smoking would have killed you eventually."

The blond genin reached over and wrenched the kunai from the man's neck, leaving him dead as blood shot out in an arterial spurt. Cleaning the small blade on the dead guard's shirt Naruto turned away and began to walk over to where the real prize was located.

"Let's see what's inside," the boy mumbled as he used the weapon he had just shed blood with to pry open the lid of a crate. "Oh yeah, we got it."

Looking down into the opened crate Naruto spied a dozen bricks far larger than the one Renji had shown Team 7. Pulling on of the bricks out to open the folds of the brown paper wrapped around it the genin confirmed that it was indeed the drug they had been shown.

Switching on his radio Naruto quietly called, "Blade to Book. Joy is confirmed."

Waiting for a response the blond Shugorei suddenly spied several long crates behind the ones he had moved to inspect. Curious because these long boxes had their tops already pulled off Naruto moved over to take a look inside.

* * *

Looking at the warehouse from his position in the command post Kakashi keyed his throat mike to respond to the signal he had just received.

"Book to Blade, confirm joy once again," the grey haired jounin commanded.

"One moment Book," Naruto's voice replied over the radio.

Waiting for his student to give a second confirmation Kakashi felt his fingers clenching and un clenching around his binoculars.

"I've got something odd here Book. I confirm joy in the crates, but I also have it in several crates that are already opened," the voice of the blond genin remarked. "It looks like something the joy was packed around something."

That was rather odd. Usually when smuggling something one packed material around the illicit good to hide it, not the other way around. The fact that something had been hidden in with the drugs suddenly worried Kakashi.

"Any sign of what it was?" the jounin asked turning to look towards Renji.

The head of the port's constabulary was listening using his own earpiece and had a puzzled look on his face.

"No sign, but whatever it is looks to be at least four and a half feet in length and about a foot wide," the Shugorei heir responded over the radio. "I've got rub marks on the wood at the bottom of the crate…looks to be made by something cylindrical with black paint on it."

Looking over to Renji once again Kakashi noted that the head constable was flipping through what appeared to be a catalog of pictures.

"_Probably looking to see if he can identify whatever this missing cargo was,"_ the jounin thought.

"We'll sort it out later," the half-masked Konoha-nin remarked into his throat mike. "Sit tight Blade. Variable's support is on route."

"Under-…," the blonde's voice began before getting cut off by static.

Hearing the static Kakashi looked down to check his radio. Confirming that everything was fine on his end the jounin turned to look back at the target warehouse. Before the he could try to call Naruto the building he had been looking at, the building the blond genin was in, exploded in a gigantic ball of flame.

"Naruto!" the jounin exclaimed worriedly at the sight of the explosion, his single eye widening in horror.

"Kami-sama!" Renji hissed, seeing the massive orange storm of fire and the debris that it was throwing into the air and stepping up next to the jounin.

Preparing to jump off the building that they were using as a command post and race towards the devastation, Kakashi's instincts suddenly kicked into full gear. Turning on his heel as he caught an odd shape flying towards the roof time seemed to slow down for the jounin. A kunai with a number of burning explosive tags attached to it suddenly sank deeply into the center of the roof.

"_Oh shit!"_ was the only thought that burst into the grey haired jounin's mind.

Running on pure instinct Kakashi grabbed the surprised Renji and leapt off the top of the building. Flying towards the street below the jounin felt the shockwave of the explosion behind him. Accelerating faster than he had anticipated the experienced ninja collided roughly with the ground as debris and a few charred pieces of those left on the roof rained down. Though he was under attack the jounin could only wonder what was happening with his genin.

* * *

**AN: ** _I am so sorry that this update took so long. I got really bogged down this past month. Every time I turned around to try and work on this chapter it seemed something else was demanding my attention. I can make no promises on the time for the next update. Hopefully April will be less busy, but I doubt it. Anyways, on a positive note this story now has fanart. Major thanks go out to 'I am the Bane of My Sword'. Bane has so far done a few sketches and posted them on deviantart. I've put the links to them, as well as to his fanfiction account, in my profile. I do hope you go and check them out as they are pretty awesome. Thanks again Bane, I hope people love the art just as much as I do._

_**Tyrchon**_


	17. Chapter 16: Out of the Frying Pan

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 16 – Out of the Frying Pan**_

* * *

Annoyance…annoyance beyond belief and a distinct urge to kill something; these were the only things that Uchiha Sasuke was feeling as he waited for the go ahead to apprehend his target.

"Good Kami-sama! What's taking them so long?!" the raven haired boy muttered as he fought the urge to rest his head on the table he sat behind.

Situated in a recessed alcove in a whorehouse that tried to pass itself off as a more reputable establishment Sasuke was growing ever more impatient as he kept a discrete watch on the local manager of the Gato Shipping Company. Watching as the man drank himself silly and lapped at the flesh of the barely clad women about him, Sasuke could derive only a single opinion, the man was swine.

"_Don't any of them have any sense of decency!" _the Uchiha heir internally raged as he watched the suspected criminal, his group of lackeys, and the whores that surrounded them.

"The order will come when it comes," the senior undercover constable whispered, having caught the genin's grumbling. "Remember, patience is a virtue."

The experienced police officer had been both a blessing and a curse in Sasuke's mind. Assigned to lead the group of port constables in making the official arrest and to deal with any complications that could arise the man had been making small comments, imparting wisdom to his young charge as the gruff sergeant liked to phrase it, for most of the stakeout. While some of the man's words were indeed informative many had been rather crude and vulgar.

"I don't see why we can't arrest him now and be done with it," the young Konoha genin remarked with a frown as his eye was caught by a flash of purple and teal.

A teenage girl, only a few years older then Sasuke himself, dressed in a purple kimono that clashed horribly with her dark teal hair had been brought out a few moments earlier by the madam who ran the house of ill repute. The girl was, surprisingly, still completely clothed and looked slightly out of place amongst the other women of the night as she passively poured some more sake for the manager. Having been touted as still being a virgin by the madam it seemed like the girl was being preserved until the small party moved into a more private setting. That deduction made Sasuke's frown deepen into a scowl.

"We wait because we have orders to do so," the gruff constable explained flatly before tasting the bowl of miso soup that had been set before him by one of the other undercover police officers. "Or don't they teach kids how to follow orders anymore?"

Catching the small rebuke Sasuke lightly bit down on his tongue to avoid a sharp reply. Kakashi had been quite clear before Team 7 had embarked on their mission that their actions, inactions, and words would be reflective of Konoha and would color the mission report sent back by the client.

Giving a small chuckle the constable continued speaking, "Ah, don't take it too hard lad. I too was once young like you, full of dreams of fame and glory. But don't worry, once you…."

Whatever the man had been about to say died in his throat as a long, booming rumble, so loud one would swear it could have only been caused by the striking hammer of a vengeful deity, shook the structure of the brothel. The affect the disturbance had was almost instantaneous as people began to scream and shout in panic.

"What the fuck was that?!" the gruff undercover constable cursed harshly.

Reacting on his training Sasuke was already trying to raise Kakashi via radio when the light static in his earpiece turned into a piercing, high pitched squeal. Letting out a cry of pain the Uchiha ripped the carefully concealed receiver from his left ear. Seeing the sergeant pull his own earpiece out with a pained grunt it was easily apparent that it wasn't a simple malfunction.

Remnants of the squeal still floating in his ear Sasuke opened his mouth to speak when a second, lesser boom was heard. Eyes widening, as this second seemed far closer than the first, Sasuke turned and caught the shocked stare of the constable. Turning to see what the man had fixated upon, the young Uchiha spied the limp form of their target slumped over the table he had just been drinking and whoring at. The growing puddle of red beneath the manager and the kunai that was lodged in his right temple told the story plainly and accurately.

"Shit!" Sasuke cursed as he vaulted the table he had been sitting behind, followed only a hairsbreadth away by the gruff constable.

As he moved towards the body of his target the Uchiha caught the flash of purple and teal out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head slightly the raven haired boy spied the teenage girl, the highly touted virgin, stepping up onto the sill of an open window. His mind racing as events screamed around him Sasuke's dark eyes widened in realization as he caught the brown eyes of the girl and the flecks of blood that were on her left cheek before she leapt out the window.

"Enemy on the move!" the young Uchiha yelled as he pivoted hard on his right foot, away from the alcove where the now cooling body lay.

"What the…?!" the gruff constable exclaimed in confusion, his men arresting everyone they could grab. "Where are you…?!"

Jumping out of the window that the kunoichi had just used Sasuke missed the rest of the police officer's question. Landing in a crouch on the terracotta tiled roof of the adjacent building the raven haired genin spied his quarry at the other end, preparing to make the leap to the next rooftop.

"Stop!" Sasuke commanded, running hard as the teal haired girl made it onto the long, flat rooftop of the next building over.

Pouring on all the speed he could muster the Uchiha heir was just landing on top of the flat-topped building when a third boom roared to life. Feeling himself knocked down by the unseen pressure wave the Konoha genin rolled to absorb the impact. However, as he rolled and came up on one knee Sasuke mouth dropped open at the sight of the brothel he had just been in violently torn open with hungry, orange flames burning brightly in the inky blackness of the night. Hearing not even a single scream from those who had been inside Sasuke's mouth tightened in a snarl as pushed of from where he was kneeling. His purpose was clear; the unknown kunoichi would not be getting away.

* * *

It was pure confusion and panic that Haruno Sakura was experiencing. Having been placed with the main squad of port constables charged with making arrests at the target warehouse she and the little group had not been very far away when the large storage facility suddenly erupted into a giant ball of flaming debris. Leaning against the concrete wall on one side of the alleyway Sakura was holding the side of her head as she gave it a light shake to try and clear out the dull ringing in her ears and the muffled effect the blast had had on her hearing.

Propping herself against the wall the young, pink haired genin watched as the young lieutenant that was in charge of the squad bent over to look her in the face. He was saying something, but it was difficult to make it out.

"What!" Sakura shouted, not realizing it because of her sudden inability to judge volume.

"…Are you okay?!" the young police officer yelled, suffering from the same effect that the young genin was.

"Yeah…I think I hear bells though!" the young Haruno exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up for confirmation.

Letting out a laugh, at the absurdity of the comment at the moment, the constable reached over to give the girl a comforting and comradely clap on the shoulder, receiving a shaky smile in return.

Pushing off the wall lightly Sakura's small smile was suddenly replaced with a look of horror as she silently realized, _"Naruto!"_

Running to the end of the alleyway to look towards where the warehouse should be at the end of the street Sakura's vision blurred slightly at the sight of the massive fire that was consuming the gutted building. Blinking and barely noticing the feeling of warmth left by the tears tracing down her face Sakura felt her knees collapse underneath her.

"_No, it…it can't! He can't be…," _the pink haired girl thought furiously, her body shaking lightly as she sat in the middle of the street looking at what could be the funeral pyre for her blond teammate. _"Naruto?!"_

"Sakura-san, we've got to…?!" the young lieutenant began to say before being interrupted by the sound of another explosion.

A high pitched squeal suddenly erupting in her radio's earpiece caused Sakura to rip the offending piece of technology out before clamping a hand over the sharp pain now emanating from her left ear. Hearing a short yelp from her right side the genin turned her head to see that the young lieutenant had his own hand pressed over his right ear.

Trying to get back to her feet as tears still fell from her eyes, due to the pain in both her head and her heart, Sakura felt the strong arm of the lieutenant as he assisted her to her feet. Trying to give the man a smile of thanks the genin's eyes widened once again as a third explosion was heard farther away from the first two.

"Fukutaicho?!" one of the other constables yelled from the mouth of the alley. "What's going on…what do we do?!"

Gritting his teeth in anger as the thought of his city, his home, being under attack the lieutenant began to issue orders before a scream of dread and pan cut through the air.

Her feet still a little shaky underneath her, Sakura's head turned on instinct towards the drawn out sound of a man crying out in agony. Looking down the alleyway, past the line of police officers, the pink haired genin felt her mouth go completely dry and her stomach turnover several times at what she was seeing. At the far end of the alley the farthest constable was screaming and trying to gather up the intestines that had spilled forth from his bloody belly. Before any of his comrades could move in an attempt to assist him, the man's screams suddenly ended as his head burst open like an overripe melon.

"What in the nine hells?" the lieutenant gasped, his face having drained of most of its color.

Standing in stunned silence at the sight of their comrade's body slumping to the ground the group of constables shaken yet again as the man nearest the body suddenly flew head first into the concrete wall that had sheltered them from the first explosion. Hitting with an audible 'crack' the man slumped to the ground leaving a smear of red to trail down the wall.

Watching with horror as a third man suddenly had a torrent of blood burst forth from his back Sakura realized the horrible truth. Something unseen was moving through the alley, it was killing those who were in its way, and as a fourth man dropped to the ground minus a head Sakura stood frozen knowing that whatever it could be was coming for her. Given those circumstances the pink haired girl reacted on her most basic instinct and….

She screamed.

* * *

Rolling on his side and to his feet, avoiding the still burning debris that littered the small side street, Hatake Kakashi felt a sharp sting in his right side. Reaching down with tentative fingers the jounin felt a sharp piece of metal poking out of his vest just below his ribs. Cautiously probing around the piece of metal and finding that it seemed to have only scratched the flesh underneath the grey haired jounin pulled the irritant free. Flicking the small, malformed piece away Kakashi heard a low, pained moan. Turning the grey haired man found his civilian counterpart sitting with his back to a dumpster, cradling his left forearm.

"Renji-san…?" Kakashi began to inquire.

"I'm fine…think my arm's busted, though. My right ankle hurts something fierce too," the head of the port constabulary said with a lopsided smirk. "But, it'll take more than this to do me in."

Reaching into the equipment pouch at the small of his back Kakashi responded, "Let me…."

"No…whoever just tried to kill us could still be about," the grizzled policeman stated bluntly. "Find that bastard and give'em one for me, I'll be fine."

Pulling his hand out of the pouch and nodding in acknowledgement the Konoha jounin pulled his forehead protector up to reveal the Sharingan in his left eye. Leaping up to land on the roof of a building near the burning form of the operation's command post the jounin cringed a little to as he realized that he would be silhouetted by the flames.

"_If our attacker is still about he'll be able to pick me out easily while I'll…,"_ the grey haired man began to think before his eyes widened and narrowed quickly, _"…or maybe not."_

Standing on the peak of a water tower only a few buildings over Kakashi could easily spy the form of a person standing underneath the pale light of the moon. With his Sharingan revealed the jounin could easily see the shadows of chakra emanating from the person.

"_Standing there for me to see without using a Bunshin as cover…. You're either very smart or very stupid,"_ the Sharingan wielding jounin silently remarked as he put his hands together and rapidly formed seals. _"Let's find out which it is."_

"Suiton: Suigadan!" Kakashi exclaimed, the water in the tower below the feet of the intruder suddenly erupting out of its wooden confines in as drill like tendrils.

Giving a cry of alarm the attacker flew back as the 'water fang projectile' lashed out sending wooden shrapnel flying. Landing on the roof below, as the arms that had been blocking the attacker's face came down to allow the balaclava wearing shinobi to see once again the sharp edge of a kunai touched where the black material ended and the soft flesh of the throat began.

"Game over," Hatake Kakashi said coldly, holding the kunai to the interloper's throat. "I should kill you right now, but first I want answers so this…," reaching with his free left hand to grasp the top of the black balaclava Kakashi pulled hard to remove the mask, "…has to go."

As the black ski mask pulled free to reveal a head of short black hair the Konoha jounin's sensitive nose caught the hint of a scent he hadn't smelled since….

"It's been a long time Kakashi-koi," the dark haired kunoichi said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Mao-chan…?" the gray haired jounin murmured in shock before doubling over as a hard elbow caught him in the small wound just below his right ribs.

Despite keeping a hold on his kunai Kakashi knew the opening had already been created. Straightening back up the man let his eyes travel over the female curves hidden underneath the black bodysuit and dull olive ANBU style armor that hugged the kunoichi's body as she stood opposite him on the rooftop. Getting to her face the jounin found Mao's violet eyes meeting his own as the bangs of her short black hair framed her face.

"Wh…?" the jounin tried to speak, thousands of questions begging to be asked.

"I'm sorry, I truly am," the kunoichi said, though her tone remained firm and business oriented. "But I have a job to do."

Blinking once before his mind snapped back to reality, it was only due to his Sharingan that Kakashi was able to bring the kunai grasped in his right hand up to block the slash of the woman's ninjato. Pushing back and easily gaining ground in the contest of strength the two broke apart as the sound of an explosion in the distance was heard.

Turning his head just enough to see where the sound had come from Kakashi realized he was looking in the direction of the brothel that Sasuke and a group of constables had been sent to stakeout.

"No!" the grey haired jounin snarled as he tossed his kunai with all the force he could muster towards his opponent before placing his hands to form seals.

Bringing her blade up to block the projectile Mao's heart suddenly froze as the rooftop was bathed in an erratic, bluish white light and the sound of rapid chirping reached her ears.

Using his left hand to stabilize his right arm Hatake Kakashi's right hand was covered with crackling electricity as he locked eyes with his enemy and said, "Goodbye Mao."

Opening the first gate to get a boost of chakra to add to his speed Kakashi prepared to streak forward. Closing the distance between himself and the kunoichi he had once known as a friend and a lover the sound of a young girl's scream reached Kakashi's ears.

"_Sakura!"_ the jounin felt the name flash through is mind in alarm as he prepared to thrust his arm forward to pierce through his target's left breast.

Eyes wide in panic, knowing that she had no way to block the Raikiri, Mao prepared for what was to come. Standing still the kunoichi felt her legs give out beneath her as she felt…nothing. Reaching a hand up to the ANBU styled armor that covered her chest the woman found a small burn scraping the surface, not a gapping hole, or an electrified hand pushing through her body.

Letting out the breath she had unconsciously been holding the kunoichi disappeared into the night just as Kakashi had only a few seconds earlier.

* * *

Sasuke felt some semblance of admiration for the kunoichi he was chasing. He hated to admit it, but if not for blind luck he would not have noticed her before she had leapt out the window. The fact that she could also move so easily over the rooftops while still clad in her tight, purple kimono was also a bit impressive. However, any feelings of admiration were quashed by anger, anger at the fact that she had robbed him of his chance to take out the man himself, anger that the explosion that had engulfed the brothel had probably killed the gruff constable, and anger at the fact that once again he had survived.

"_I shall leave you to wallow in your weakness ototo," _rose the memory of a dark figure bearing Sharingan eyes.

Feeling old hatred reawaken once again Sasuke internally raged, _"No, this time he won't escape!"_

His anger and his hate driving him it did not even occur to Sasuke that instead of seeing the retreating back of the teal haired kunoichi he was seeing a face reminiscent of his own.

"Itachi!" the young Uchiha screamed before throwing several shuriken.

Whether it was by luck or design the kunoichi dropped down from the rooftops into an alleyway just before the rage filled Uchiha's throwing stars caught her in the back. Following quickly behind Sasuke moved out into the streets close on the heels of the girl. Pushing for more speed the raven haired boy was only a few scant feet away when suddenly the kunoichi pulled a back-flip and sailed over his head to land behind him.

"Damn it!" Sasuke seethed out through clenched teeth as he tried to pivot on his heel to follow.

Skidding on the cobblestones Sasuke caught sight of a form out of the corner of his eye and realized why the girl had executed the maneuver. Standing in his path the raven haired Uchiha spotted the figure of a teenage boy only a few years his senior wearing a black bodysuit and olive colored ANBU armor. However, what truly caught Sasuke's attention was the fact that the new arrival was swinging a finely honed ninjato directly towards his head.

"_Shit!"_ was all that went through the Uchiha's mind as he bent and twisted at an impossible angle to avoid the blade.

Watching as the sharpened steel flashed over his bent form Sasuke could only think at the moment of how lucky he was to have sparred repeatedly with Naruto. The hidden Shugorei heir had begun to use his sword more and more aggressively in their sessions, though the blond still kept it sealed which irked Sasuke and wounded his Uchiha pride to an extent. As the blade finished its horizontal arc Sasuke executed a backwards handspring and lashed out with his left foot. Feeling some resistance and hearing a startled 'gurk' the Uchiha knew he had just tagged the blade wielding intruder in the face.

"_Yeah I bet that smarts, doesn't it?" _the raven haired boy thought snidely, remembering how he had first developed the maneuver when sparring with the whiskered blond. Naruto had been not pleased to get suckered in such a way and as Sasuke landed in a prone position he could see that the new arrival now seemed to share the same feeling.

Reaching down to his right thigh with one hand and into the equipment pouch at his back with the other Sasuke brought out two kunai. While he had made the dodge one thing he had learned from his sparring with the Shugorei heir was that if a blade user had any talent whatsoever then the next attack would be ready to take any attempts of avoidance into account. Feeling the phantom pain in his right shoulder where he had gotten skewered by Naruto after executing the quick dodge and counterstrike a few months ago Sasuke tightened his grip on the kunai and prepared to parry whatever came next.

He didn't have long to wait as the ninjato wielding shinobi let out a growl and began to move forward only to stop short as the kimono clad kunoichi appeared in front of him.

"Wait, Sousuke," the teal haired girl stated sharply, the red bow tying her waist length hair bobbing to either side as she moved to stand next to the ninjato wielder.

The now identified ninja frowned deeply as he locked his dark grey eyes with the Konoha genin's own before saying, "We have our orders Kaname."

"But I want to do it," Kaname seemed to almost whine.

"You play with your targets too much," Sousuke said flatly, his short brown hair unmoving as he turned his head to get a better view of Sasuke. "Threats must be eliminated quickly. Those are our orders."

Hearing that Sasuke decided he had waited long enough to receive any attack. Pushing forward out of his prone position the Uchiha went on the offensive. The odds were against him, but he had never liked defense anyway.

Seeing his opponent moving forward the slightly armored shinobi pushed his compatriot out of the way in order to bring his blade to bear. As he brought the sharpened steel up in a diagonal swipe it met the kunai held in Sasuke's right hand.

Having blocked the ninjato from taking off his hand at just behind the wrist Sasuke lashed out with the kunai in his left hand. Aiming for the older boy's eyes the Uchiha heir barely missed, instead letting the throwing knife draw a thin red line along the left side of his opponent's jaw.

"Sousuke!" the teal haired Kaname shrieked at the sight of blood.

Hearing the girl and seeing her dig into the wide obi around her waist Sasuke almost laughed as he watched her pull out a collapsed paper fan. However, any thoughts of condescending amusement disappeared from the raven haired boy's mind as the girl opened the fan with a flick of her wrist and sent the five senbon that had been concealed within streaking towards his face.

Ducking to avoid the deadly needles the Uchiha threw his left kunai as he pushed off with the right to spin out of reach of any attack the ninjato wielder may attempt. Spinning on the balls of his feet Sasuke flipped the kunai in his right hand upwards as he brought both hands together and began to form seals as his lungs pulled in air.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Sasuke exclaimed as he breathed out a fireball the size of a horse-drawn wagon.

Cutting off the flow of air escaping his mouth Sasuke let the large ball of fire fly towards the brown haired ninjato user. Reaching up with his right hand the Uchiha deftly plucked his falling kunai from the air. Seeing his jutsu hit Sasuke turned his attention to where the senbon throwing kunoichi should be only to see that she had disappeared.

"Where did she…?!" the raven haired genin began to mutter before being abruptly stopped as his fireball exploded.

Turning to see what remained of the ninjato user Sasuke cursed. Standing with charred cobblestones to either side Sousuke looked perfectly fine as a bluish dome disappeared from around him.

Before either the Konoha-nin or the shinobi of unknown origin could act the teal haired kunoichi appeared again, this time standing in front of the ANBU like teen.

"Such jutsu are useless against Sousuke, he can create Chakra no Tate to protect from every angle," Kaname remarked plainly as she looked to Sasuke. "And you will not be able to protect yourself from my attack the way you did his."

Puzzled by the comment Sasuke replied sharply, "I blocked your senbon easily enough. Posturing from a position of weakness is…?!"

Confusion gripping him Sasuke felt his vision begin to swim as the sight of his two opponents blurred and split. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it the raven haired genin heard something like a….

"_Like what…a whisper perhaps? Whispers flow upon the wind, in one ear and sometimes out the other,"_ the voice of the teal haired kunoichi seemed to play inside the Uchiha heir's mind. _"However, my whispers are far different than those you are accustomed to."_

Feeling the world around him beginning to slip away Sasuke remembered the lesson regarding Genjutsu. Concentrating his chakra the genin released it in a pulse. However, as he opened his eyes Sasuke was met once again by a blurry and now spinning world about him.

"_An admirable effort, but this is not Genjutsu…,"_ the girl's voice seemed to almost taunt, _"…and I am not some villain you read about or see in the movies. No explanation is coming…only oblivion."_

Panic suddenly welling up as further Genjutsu dispelling efforts failed Sasuke wondered, _"What is this? It has to be Genjutsu there's no other way that…. NO! I'm an Uchiha, at the center of Konoha's pride! I won't lose to these…!"_

Without warning the world about him suddenly shifted back to normal. Dropping to a knee Sasuke panted as sweat trickled down his face. Looking about the Uchiha heir saw no sign of either of his opponents. Stretching his sense out to try and discover where the two may be hiding the genin's thoughts were interrupted.

"_Know that luck has saved you, little Uchiha of Konohagakure,"_ the kunoichi's voice faintly echoed in the confines of his head. _"Until next time…."_

Hearing a mocking giggle Sasuke let out a roar before punching his right fist down onto the cobblestone street in frustration. Once again he had failed, once again his target had escaped, and once again it had made a mockery of him.

"_No, never again!"_ the irate Uchiha heir swore. _"Next time, it will be their life or mine!"_

* * *

Things had gone from bad to worse since Sakura had screamed. Whatever was moving unseen down the alleyway had quickened its pace. All but a single constable, the young lieutenant in charge, and Sakura herself were left and as the constable turned to run Sakura and the lieutenant could only stare. Frozen in horror the two watched as the fleeing man barely made it three feet before his legs were cut out from underneath him. Escape, it seemed, was not an option.

"Hmm, the look on your faces is priceless," a dark, mocking voice echoed out of the alley and into the street where Sakura and the lieutenant stood. "If only I could bottle and preserve such looks, they would be as precious to me as the finest wines."

"Come out and face me with honor you coward!" the young lieutenant shouted, his anger overriding his fear.

"If you so wish," the voice answered.

Without warning the air at the mouth of the alleyway seemed to writhe for a moment as suddenly a man, wearing a dark, hooded cloak and carrying a spear with a crimson tassel where the head connected to the shaft, appeared. Shifting the spear to sit across the broad shoulders hidden beneath the cloak the pale light of the moon glinted off the fine point and the drops of scarlet blood that dripped from it.

"Now then, all I have to do is take care of you, boy! Then I can get down to having some real fun," the unknown assassin remarked, the sound of lips being smacked in hungry anticipation following behind the words. "I've never tasted pink before. I wonder, do you have some pink fuzz nestled just over your cunt little girl?"

Eyes widening at the implication Sakura suddenly was reminded of the day that all of the young girls in her Academy class had been taken to a separate classroom by two senior kunoichi. For an entire week the young girls had learned that there were things far worse than death waiting for them on missions.

"Won't that be nice Inu-chan?!" the cloaked man yelled over to where a dark haired girl wielding a ninjato and wearing a gi that barely covered her was finishing off the constable that had tried to flee moments before. "I'm going to break in a new toy and…."

"Like hell you will!" the young police lieutenant yelled, bravely positioning himself to defend Sakura, his sword drawn and held at the ready.

"Tch, an amateur like you thinks that he can…," the assassin began to scoff before what sounded like numerous birds chirping suddenly cut through the night.

Before anyone could say anything a hand covered in electricity exploded out from the chest of the cloaked man. Standing with his right arm thrust forward Hatake Kakashi had a look of pure malice on his partially masked face as his Raikiri continued to blaze brightly.

"Oh ho, so this one belongs to you, eh Kakashi-kun?" the assassin remarked with a chuckle, seeming to ignore the arm and hole that now ran through his torso. "This makes it ever so much sweeter then."

With a puff of smoke the form of the cloaked man was replaced by that of shocked constabulary lieutenant. Seeing the man who had been trying to protect her pierced through by an electrified hand, one that apparently belonged to her jounin sensei, Sakura's mind could not handle it. Letting out a scream the pink haired girl fainted, crumpling to the ground.

Now standing over the unconscious genin the spear wielding shinobi let out a burst of laughter as he exclaimed, "Oh this one will definitely be fun for us Inu-chan! We'll have her screaming so loud that…?!"

The sound of chirping birds still strong the unknown assassin fell silent as the figure of Hatake Kakashi simply faded out of existence, leaving a startled yet very much alive police lieutenant standing in the mouth of the alley. The simply use of Bunshin had countered the assassin's use of Kawarimi.

Turning on reflex the cloaked man was not quick enough to fully avoid the true Kakashi as he attacked from behind. His Chidori blazing strong the Copy-nin caught the cloaked spear wielder in the left shoulder, severing the man's arm completely from his torso.

Letting out an inhuman howl the hood of the cloak fell away to reveal a middle-aged man whose flaxen curls were crudely arranged in a poor attempt to hide his growing baldness. Clutching at the stump of his shoulder the man's bloodied spear dropped to the cobblestones.

"No one touches my genin," his voice cold enough that it would put fear even into the Devil himself, Hatake Kakashi ignored the severed limb and the fear in the man's eyes.

Pushing more chakra into his right hand, causing the skin to redden and blister, the Konoha jounin raised his arm up to deliver the final blow before suddenly turning and lashing out with his electrified hand. The ninjato in the hands of the dark haired Inu-chan shattered as if made of glass as the Chidori raked over it. Letting out a sharp yelp and landing with a whimper it was easy to see where the broken pieces of steel had shot back to cut into the face and chest of the girl as blood oozed out and fitted her with a mask of liquid crimson.

"NO, I don't want to die!" the balding assassin yelled in terror and cowardice as he picked himself up and took off down the street towards the burning warehouse.

"Protect Sakura!" Kakashi sharply ordered the bewildered police lieutenant, before taking off in pursuit of the man who had threatened the life of his student.

Running at blinding speed Kakashi focused his Sharingan eye onto the back of the retreating man. Letting the power in his right hand die the Copy-nin winced as he ran through familiar seal yet again. Bracing his left arm with his injured right hand Kakashi felt the electrical power of the Chidori flare back to life, this time in his southpaw.

Reaching the burning wreckage of the building that stood as a pyre to one of his students Kakashi slowed his running to a walk. His quarry had just realized that he had run into a dead end as to one side was a vengeful jounin and to the other was a fiery demise.

"Hochu Niimi: former Special Jounin of Konohagakure, B-ranked missing-nin, and criminal. Wanted on numerous charges, the most heinous of which are the murder and rape of minors," Kakashi spoke with disgust as he slowly marched forward. "For your crimes your sentence is death."

"No, wait! I…I surrender! You can't kill me if I surrender!" Niimi yelled, eyes wild with fear.

Stopping his advance several yards away Hatake Kakashi held out the Chidori in his left hand. Niimi was a blight upon Konoha's reputation, scum of the worst order. However, the law of Konohagakure and the Country of Fire was clear, should a criminal surrender he was to be taken alive and delivered for trial. Standing there alone the grey haired jounin warred with himself over doing what was right or what was _right_.

Seeing the hesitation in his supposed executioner Niimi let a sickly smirk cross his face before letting out a howl of laughter.

His attention on the hysterical man Kakashi realized the distraction and spun out of the way a mere moment before he would have been run through. Standing where the jounin had been was the bloody faced girl that had been accompanying Niimi and in her outstretched hands was the spear the pedophile had used to slaughter countless innocents.

"You see Hatake!" the deranged criminal crowed. "My loyal little Inu-chan comes to save her master! Now die Hatake! Die!"

Laughing as his eyes widened further Niimi's insanity seemed to grow. Whether the man had always been insane or was going into shock with the sudden loss of blood and his arm, it was unclear. However, as his precious little puppet turned to face down one of the most feared jounin that Konoha had to offer one thing became abundantly clear as a dark pulse erupted into the night. Kakashi was the least of their worries.

Reminiscent of a tragic night just over twelve years ago, Kakashi felt his soul freeze and the Chidori in his hand die as a second and then a third pulse was felt. As the beat began to quicken the grey haired jounin prayed to whatever god was listening, but that didn't stop the inhuman howl that erupted from within the fiery remains of the burning warehouse.

* * *

Darkness was all that he knew; gone was the light that had held it at bay. The world that had existed before had shattered like as if made of fragile crystal and what pieces remained held nothing.

"**Awaken…."** a dark and familiar voice urged.

"_Where am I?" _the blond boy questioned in confusion.

"**Awaken!"** the snarling voice commanded.

"_I can't see!"_ the youth cried out, startled.

"**That is meaningless…. Now Awaken!"** the owner of the sinister voice growled fiercely.

"_No! My eyes…I can't?!" _the whiskered blond yelled in confusion and panic. _"My body…?! I can't feel anything! Where's my body?! What's happened to my body?!"_

"**They have attempted to take it from you," **the ominous voice replied. **"They seek to take more!"**

"_No! I…I won't let them!"_ the boy cried out with panic into the void that surrounded and penetrated him. _"They can't have it! It's mine!"_

"**Then take it back!"** the demonic voice ordered. **"Take it back and exact from them a price for their arrogance!"**

"_Yes!"_ the youth seethed in anger and anticipation as black began to give way to red. _"A price, they need to pay…the ultimate price!"_

"**Take my power, use it! Make them suffer!"** ordered the dark voice.

"_Yes, power! Unlimited power!"_ the boy exclaimed with a crazed laugh, the warnings in his mind little more than whispers.

As the words echoed outwards the void seemed to collapse in upon itself an amalgam of red and black exploded forth the visage of a grinning fox with nine large tails could be seen. However, such a sight was lost in the instant it was shown as Naruto returned to the world of the living, crimson coloring his vision and a powerful rage burned through his veins. Tilting the pieces of his head back the carrier of the Kyuubi no Youko let out a guttural howl not as a warning but as the promise of hell itself.

* * *

Kakashi was frozen in place mere yards away from the raging inferno. Clutching at the stump of his shoulder Niimi looked even paler as sweat poured down his brow due not to his injury but terror. Holding her master's spear in her hands, blood continuing to trickle from the tiny cuts on her face and chest, Inu-chan showed true emotion for the first time since she had been broken by the twisted man so many years ago. Fear was what she had lived in for years, but now…now that fear was nothing compared to the absolute terror that wracked her very soul.

"_Naruto! The seal!" _Kakashi worried as thousands of thoughts and courses of action crossed his mind. _"The Kyuubi!"_

Watching the fires dance almost in time now with the continuing dark pulse Kakashi felt the world slow down. It seemed to take every effort just to breathe as all sound and feeling seemed to fade from existence.

"_Run!"_ the grey haired jounin's mind commanded, though his body remained frozen. _"Move or die!"_

As the ultimatum flashed to life Kakashi suddenly felt reality suddenly speed back up as an unseen wave hit him and sent him flying backwards to roll in the street. Gasping for air, as the wind had been knocked out of him by the sudden shock, the Copy-nin turned his head as his Sharingan caught sight of a form stirring and moving out of the flames.

Walking upright on feet and legs made of chakra what remained of Naruto emerged, the demonic chakra digging into the ground like claws. Red chakra, corrupted and warped by malevolence, pushed out from what little of his body had been spared from the explosion and the resulting inferno. Gone were his arms and legs, replaced by boiling limbs of translucent crimson. Pieces of wood and metal that had pierced his torso turned to ash or melted away as the unholy chakra touched them. His clothing had been destroyed to show that in far too many places skin had burned away to reveal bone. The once cheerful face of the boy was twisted and broken as a single red eye stared out of the left eye socket as the right remained empty. Encased in the power of the demon Naruto had taken on the visage of a anamorphic fox, complete with a single translucent crimson tail swinging behind him. The once friendly boy was now a revenant, an avatar of death and destruction for the Kyuubi no Youko.

"Kami-sama…!" Kakashi breathed out in dreaded shock.

Leaning against a cinderblock wall that had been blackened by flames earlier Niimi's reaction was similar until his fear combined with his madness.

"Ba…Ba…Bakemono!" the balding man screamed, the hair of his comb-over having fallen away to dangle haphazardly off the side of his head. "Kill it Inu-chan! Kill it for your master! Kill it!"

Hearing the frantic orders Kakashi's eyes widened as he yelled in warning, "No, don't…!

However, the words were too late as Kakashi watched the single red eye of his former student suddenly transfix on the missing-nin. His face warped underneath the scarlet chakra Naruto's fanged mouth twisted into what could only be called a look of unadulterated hate.

Pushing forward using the clawed, chakra based feet to tear up the ground the Kyuubi-controlled-Naruto closed the distance between himself and the pedophile in less then a heartbeat. Before the man could do anything other than let his mouth hang open in silent terror the crimson covered blond brought his clawed right arm down in a vicious swipe. Staring in horror Kakashi watched as Niimi's head was ripped from his body before being held up triumphantly by the demonically possessed genin.

Letting out another inhuman howl the possessed Shugorei heir tossed the head off to the side with little regard. Turned his head to stare over his shoulder Naruto's gaze fell to where the girl who had accompanied Niimi was barely standing. Grasping her former master's spear across her body as if trying to protect herself the dark haired girl was shaking violently as the single red eye of the demonic genin fixated upon her.

"**I**n**u**_**!**_**" **Naruto howled in a rage born from the Fox's particular disdain.

"No! Naruto…Stop!" Kakashi commanded, but once again the words came too late.

Disappearing in a crimson flash the boy/demon reappeared almost instantly standing before the trembling girl. Letting out a scream of fright the girl pushed forward with the shaft of the spear in the vain effort to try and push her attacker away. Grasping the stock with the chakra based fingers of his left hand Naruto let out a barking laugh that chilled Kakashi to the bone. With barely any effort the Kyuubi-controlled-genin snapped the thick wood in a shower of splinters. Staring into the single red eye of her executioner Inu-chan rely managed a whimper before the clawed, right hand of the chakra covered monster ripped through her breastbone and out her back.

Pierced through by the burning appendage, her eyesight beginning to darken, the kunoichi did something completely unexpected. Using her remaining strength the girl reached up with her right hand to caress the chakra covered face of her killer. As the flesh of her hand blistered and split and then began to burn away under the influence of the malevolent chakra she mouthed something as her voice had already disappeared.

Pushing to his feet Hatake Kakashi's Sharingan eye flared with pain as it took in the sight of the demonic chakra. However, keeping his eyes trained on the sight of the dark haired girl impaled on the arm of what his student had become Kakashi caught the last, silent words of the poor girl. She had said…thank you.

Pulling his arm out of the corpse of the kunoichi, Naruto's singular red eye shifted from holding nothing but rage and malice to holding a mixture of confusion and pain. Turning to stare at Kakashi the boy began to slowly step forward as the eye pulsed and shifted back to be filled with anger.

Attempting to swallow, as his mouth was completely dry, Kakashi began to slowly raise his hands in a warding gesture. Stepping backwards slightly the jounin's mind reeled as options and images of his own demise vied for supremacy.

"Naruto, I know you're still in there somewhere," the half masked jounin stated slowly. "You don't want to do this."

Taking several more steps towards his new prey the demonically induced genin let out a harsh snarl.

"The Kyuubi's controlling you! You have to fight him!" Kakashi commanded as he watched the distance between his student and himself close. "Do you hear me Naruto?!"

Seeing the boy continuing his slow, methodical walk Kakashi pushed chakra into his left hand.

Hearing the faint chirping begin the jounin silently realized, _"I've already used the Chidori more than usual. I've got maybe two more after this before my chakra gives out."_

"Stop Naruto!" the jounin ordered. "I don't want to do this but I'll…."

His threat hanging in the air Kakashi braced himself to end the life of his student, the son of the man he thought of as a second father. Setting his Sharingan spinning with chakra to better focus on his target and not waste any opening that was presented the jounin let his left eye meet Naruto's own.

"Please forgive me," the grey haired man whispered as he watched the boy refuse to stop his advance.

Stepping forward to begin his charge the jounin let out a cry to bolster his spirit and erase the doubts that plagued him. Racing forward the man was preparing to jab with his electrified hand when Naruto's expression changed to one of agony. Knowing it was too late to change direction the jounin cut all chakra to his hand to deliver an open palmed strike to the boy's chest.

Skidding backwards from the strike Naruto barely registered that he had just been struck. Bringing his chakra created hands up to his head the boy let out a soul wrenching cry before falling over onto his back. His screams echoing out through the night the whiskered genin's body began to convulse as the crimson chakra ebbed and flared about it. Shaking enough to almost cause a minor earthquake the damage that had been done to the genin's body began to be repaired. From the stubs just below his waist bones for new legs burst forth to be clothed in flesh just as the same occurred for the blond boy's missing arms. Rolling back and forth as if in intense pain the holes in Naruto's torso filled in as cells were replaced and new skin formed to replace that which was far too damaged. Pushing slightly off the ground to spin over onto his hands and knees the young genin's back arched as his spine realigned. Throwing his head backwards the boy let out another howl as his face twisted back to the way it was supposed to look. Eye lids flaring open two of the bluest eyes ever seen flashed before the Shugorei heir collapsed face first into the ground.

Inching forward slowly as the red chakra faded back into the boy's body Kakashi knelt down to carefully turn his student over. Reaching out with the first two fingers on his left hand the jounin felt for a pulse from the carotid artery. Feeling the small flutter of underneath the tips of his fingers the grey haired jounin let out a sigh of relief.

Pulling his hand away and puling scroll from the pockets on the front of his vest Kakashi unsealed one of his old ANBU cloaks. Taking the off-white cloak in hand the Copy-nin wrapped the nude form of the whiskered blond carefully. Reaching up slide his forehead protector back down over his left eye Kakashi let out a second sigh as he felt the drain on his chakra cease. Cradling the unconscious blond as he picked the boy up in order to head back to where he had left Sakura and the young police lieutenant, Kakashi failed to notice the fine white flecks near his feet…almost exactly where Naruto's face had been.

* * *

Deep within the recesses of a certain whiskered boy's mind the Kyuubi no Youko stared out through the bars of his cage. The effect of the Sharingan had been enough to break the hold he had placed on the young genin's mind just long enough for the boy to rebel and push him back with every bit of what remained of his will. However, on the great Bijuu's face was a look that did not convey a feeling of anger or disappointment, but rather a smug sense of satisfaction.

"**I've now have exactly what I need young one and you have unknowingly provided it to me,"** the beast chortled with an air of superiority. **"Your will and your pathetic tool will fail and soon I shall be free once again."**

Letting out a dark laugh the Fox glanced down to the small, pale form that continued sleeping in the shallow waters before the cage. As the demon faded back into the shadows the almost infantile form drifted past the bars to join him.

* * *

"Mao-sensei…. Mao-sensei!"

The calling of her name by her students broke the experienced kunoichi out of the stupor she had fallen into as she sat on the roof of a building well away from where she had encountered Hatake Kakashi.

"I'm okay Kaname…Sousuke," the dark haired woman remarked slowly as he turned to face the girl and boy she had taken in long ago. "What's our status?"

Stepping up, a bandage over the cut on his jaw, Sousuke replied, "Our primary objective has been achieved; the manager and all of his subordinates have been eliminated. However…."

As the teenage male trailed off he shifted his eyes over to look at his teenage kunoichi that stood next to him as he continued, "…Kaname encountered pursuit after she made her kill. I stepped in, but the boy proved to be more skilled then I initially expected."

"You let him get away?!" the older kunoichi exclaimed, her face screwing up in a look of displeasure.

"Sensei," Kaname interjected calmly, drawing the woman's attention. "You know we follow your orders no matter what."

"Then he is dead and we can…," Mao began before trailing off as she read the look on the faces of her two charges. "He still lives?!"

"Hai, I was preparing to destroy his mind and caught his thoughts," the teal haired kunoichi responded softly to her superior. "The boy was a genin of Konoha as well as an Uchiha. Our standing orders precluded us from harming him further."

Snorting the senior kunoichi spat out, "Of all the damnable luck! I encountered Hatake Kakashi after setting off the charges at the warehouse and destroying their command post. Only he would have the last loyal Uchiha as his subordinate."

"They pose a risk to the operation, should we not pursue them?" Sousuke asked, his dark eyes flashing like those of a predator.

"No, our orders stand. Our primary concern is protecting the cargo that Gato smuggled into the country for us. Our Lady will not be pleased if we were to lose her investment," Mao stated bluntly. "Besides, a complication has arisen…Niimi and his plaything are dead."

At the mention of the disgusting man both Sousuke and Kaname frowned. While it was good to hear that the pedophile had finally met some sense of justice, both of the young shinobi felt a small pain at hearing that the girl he had enslaved had died with him. She had deserved so much more then to rendered into an instrument of sexual gratification for the man, but now….

"They were killed by the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko," Mao remarked with a distinct finality as the eyes of her adopted siblings widened in fear.

"S-so…that was it? That was the terrible chakra we felt an hour ago?" Kaname asked cautiously.

"It has been over twelve years since I felt that chakra, but feeling it tonight was just the same," the dark haired kunoichi stated as she pulled out a cigarette. "Fucking demon."

Both Sousuke and Kaname knew the history of the woman they saw as their sensei, their guardian, and their only family. Mao had once been a chunin of Konohagakure, but that had all ended the night the Kyuubi had attacked.

Being only sixteen at the time Mao had been hailed as having excellent potential. However, on the night the demonic Fox had attacked that potential had evaporated as the dark haired kunoichi fled the village along with a handful of others. It had been an easy choice in her and the others mind seeing as nothing seemed to be able to stop the rampaging demon. When word had reached the small group that the Kyuubi had indeed been defeated the news that they had been declared deserters, traitorous cowards, and missing-nin by an angered village council had also arrived. Her act of self-preservation had cost Mao her home, her friends, and her family. While the majority of the group she had fled with committed suicide rather than live with their shame Mao had decided to live on. Moving from one low job to the next the kunoichi had sharpened her skills the old fashioned way and honed herself to a razor's edge. The only area where she could still be considered human were the feelings she had for the two young teenagers who stood before he now, both rescued as it were from lives and fates that could be far worse than that of a shinobi.

"I'll go and…," Sousuke began to say before being cut off by a sharp slap to his face.

Her left arm extended Mao had terror in her eyes as the red palm print flared to life on the right side of Sousuke's face.

"Niimi may have been a twisted, disgusting fuck but he was far more skilled than you! If he failed to survive what chance do you think you would have?!" the dark haired kunoichi exclaimed, the unlit cigarette falling from her trembling lips. "Kakashi was more than a match for him, but even worse is the fact that Konoha's living weapon is apparently also with him!"

Two years ago when she and her adopted family had finally found a steady employer in the form of a noblewoman of the Country of Fire, Mao had rejoiced at the fact that she needed to no longer take questionable jobs and put the two young teens at more risk than was necessary. However, with the steady employment and the political protection given to her against the threat of Konoha hunter-nin, Mao had learned one of the darker secrets now kept by her former home. The Kyuubi had not been destroyed as so many outside the Leaf Village believed. Her fear of the beast coming back to haunt her, Mao had sworn to avoid the jinchuuriki at all costs and any oath made by her applied to Sousuke and Kaname as well. Hearing that the boy she held not only as a subordinate but loved like a younger brother wanted to throw his life away brought her fear of the demon Fox crashing back full force.

"I'm sorry Oneesan," apologized Sousuke quietly, hanging his head in shame at renewing the fear his adopted sister felt.

"Our mission here is complete. We've protected the secrecy of the cargo and eliminated the price our Lady had to pay to that pig Gato to smuggle it in," Mao stated sharply as she turned on her heel and walked to the stairs at the end of the roof. "We're moving out with our packages as quickly as possible. I want to be to the South and away from Kakashi and that…thing, as soon as we are able. Our Lady's plans will not wait and I do not want to suffer her wrath for delaying them."

Watching his 'elder sister' descend the stairs Sousuke felt a delicate touch on his back. Turning the teenage ninja's eyes met the brown orbs of Kaname. Feeling her wrap her arms around him and pull him into a gentle hug the boy took in the natural scent as her hair tickled his nose.

"Oneesan is right, our mission is our first priority," the teal haired kunoichi whispered into the boy's ear. "Besides, I'm sure you and I will have the chance to eliminate the source of her fears some other time…."

His predatory grey eyes flashing in the light of the pale moon Sousuke silently agreed, _"Next time…Bakemono. Next time I will be the one to end you."_

* * *

The morning sun shone brightly onto Konohagakure. In the office of the Hokage a weekly meeting was underway, one that the old man had grown quite used to having and one of the few that he actually didn't mind. Situated about the office in various states of relaxed attention all six ANBU Captains had gathered to give their weekly reports.

"_Hard to believe that it's been three full weeks since our newest crop of genin graduated,"_ the Sandaime thought idly as he listened only half-heartedly to the force assessment report being given by Tenzo. _"Kakashi and his team should be finishing there first C-rank mission shortly and Kurenai's team left for their first C-rank yesterday. I'll have to talk to Asuma about why he seems to be stalling on taking one for his team as well. Our new crop of rookies may not be ready to get promoted and begin solo missions, but that doesn't mean some real experience wouldn't do them some good."_

The Hokage was keenly aware that the summer chunin exams were scheduled to begin on the second weekend of June and that this year Konoha would be playing host. He knew well the list of Konoha genin that would potentially participate, they would represent the village well and perhaps next summer or maybe even in the winter exam Teams 7, 8, and 10 would also participate.

"_Those nine just reek of potential," _the old Sarutobi chuckled to himself. _"When they show up in the exams Konoha's mission requests will undoubtedly increase."_

"That all being said I can report that the Main Battle Unit is currently ninety-eight percent combat effective," Tenzo said from behind his tiger mask as he concluded his report as the Hokage focused back upon the meeting at hand.

Having gleaned the important parts of his subordinate's rather long report Sarutobi nodded in acknowledgement as the younger man moved to stand near one of the office's walls. Turning his attention to the Captain of the Training Unit, the Sandaime waited for the newest ANBU Captain to begin his own report. Unlike his young counterpart Bunji did not move from the overstuffed chair he was sitting in to stand before the desk of the Hokage.

"The progress of our trainees is going well," the one eyed man stated calmly. "Of the original 63 candidates we now have a total of 48. Of that number 7 are currently down for medical reasons while one is restricted to light training for several more days. The individual squads have begun to get competitive with each other to try and earn the top marks in the skill exercises."

"That wouldn't be due to the rumor that was supposedly going around, is it?" Tenzo asked from where he was standing.

"It may in fact be true, but weekend liberty passes are given out if the squads meet the requirements assigned for each skill," Bunji answered. "Should they try harder to excel because of scuttlebutt I see no reason to correct it."

"How are they progressing in terms of skills?" the Sandaime asked quietly.

"Quite well," Bunji replied, "they are currently learning just the basic ANBU skills. By the end of the month we will have also begun to mix in the more intermediate skills that are required."

"So it will still be up to the divisions to which the final graduates are assigned to teach them the more _specialized_ skills," Usohakkenki Takara said more as a statement of fact than as a question.

"They will be getting the training that will cover the generalized skills required of all ANBU," Bunji stated slowly as he looked over to his old teammate. "However, they will still require that extra training to be fully integrated into your individual divisions, just like normal recruits would require."

Originally some of the other ANBU Captains had complained about this particular area. They had assumed that if a training unit was going to be created it would take over all aspects of ANBU training, including division specialization. It had taken no small effort by the Hokage and Bunji to correct that assumption. While the newest division was indeed planning on taking over the training of those recruited from the general shinobi ranks of Konoha after an evaluation was made on how this first group faired there was never a plan to take over the individual divisions' training programs. To do so had been deemed by Bunji to be both a waste of time and resources, as well as possibly allowing for the quality of the divisions to suffer. The Hokage had agreed and as such the matter had been closed, though that didn't mean the other ANBU Captains still didn't lightly complain.

"Are you on schedule for your projected graduation date?" the Sandaime asked, steering the conversation back to where he wanted it.

"Yes, we expect the first group of candidates to be ready for placement by the end of August," the old warhorse stated calmly. "Current estimates are putting that at 33 or so."

"So many, I was lead to believe that there would be less and yet that's almost half of the original group," the Hokage lightly exclaimed as the others in the room also took a greater notice.

"That is only a current projection. More likely than not it will decrease as time progresses," Bunji said flatly. "However, many of the candidates are highly motivated, so it could in fact stay higher than the original projections. The more I push them the more these kids strive to prove that they are worthy of the chance given to them."

Knowing that Bunji always kept his reports short and exactly to the point, unlike Tenzo who liked to explain every little detail, the Hokage nodded in acceptance and turned to hear the last report of the morning.

"There is little to report, Hokage-sama," Usohakkenki Takara remarked as she took her cue to begin. "Kusagakure has its forces going through their usual spring war-game with several of our more senior teams participating. Of course Iwa is rattling its swords in protest, but that is to be expected."

The Hokage gave a subtle nod. Since the end of the war Konoha had been offering major military assistance while Kusa rebuilt its shinobi forces. This relationship meant many things, including Konoha-nin working with Kusa-nin to patrol the latter's border with the Country of Earth. This naturally meant that Iwagakure would have strong objections, but the Tsuchikage was no fool. Iwa had yet to return to its full prewar strength and a new war would not help the matter.

"Tenzo, send out a new set of orders to our forces assisting Kusa. After the conclusion of the war-game I want them to pull back from the border with Iwa," Sarutobi commanded softly, knowing that it would allow the Tsuchikage to save face and maintain the peace.

Not waiting for the tiger masked man to say anything Takara continued her report.

"The ANBU team that Lady Shijimi requested be dispatched to Wave Country for the Daimyo has me concerned," the female ANBU Captain noted from where she sat on the couch. "

"Why?" the Hokage inquired, leaning forward on his desk and folding his hands before his face.

"They began their mission several days ago, however I've been hearing several rumors regarding Wave of late," the Captain of the Clandestine Affairs division answered.

"What rumors?" the old Sandaime inquired.

"A few of the spies that I and Kenshin-kun maintain in the capital are reporting an increase in aggressive actions by the hawks in the Daimyo's Court," Takara responded. "We haven't been able to get details, but numerous secret meeting have taken place. All were on the single topic of…."

"Wave," the Hokage spoke, knowing the answer. "It seems Madam Shijimi's concerns are real."

"What do you mean Hokage-sama?" Mitarashi Anko asked.

"The warmongers in the Fire Daimyo's court have gotten it into their heads that Wave's recent isolationism is a front in preparation for an invasion to take over territory along our eastern coast," the Sandaime answered solemnly. "Lady Shijimi has amassed a coalition to try and block any actions that may break the peace, but she is meeting stiff resistance. Princess Ryoko is leading the hawks and the Daimyo is supposedly leaning heavily in favor of his daughter. If the hawks get their way the Country of Fire will make a preemptive strike and annex the Country of Wave as its newest province."

The words of the Hokage caused each of the ANBU Captains to immediately snap to attention. Even though it was highly doubtful that Wave would be able to stand up to the might of Fire Country that didn't mean that other difficulties couldn't arise. The peace held by all of the Elemental Countries was fragile. The Country of Water had once held close ties to Wave, before the Bloody Mist's civil war had ravaged the country. Should Fire Country invade Wave there was a chance, a small chance, but a chance nonetheless that the Country of Water would decide to get involved.

"Kiri is still weak, their genocidal attempts to wipe out the advance bloodline clans in Water have cut their strength considerably," Morino Ibiki noted dispassionately. "They are hardly a match for us, but…."

"But their hatred and fear of bloodline limits would stir them into a frenzy if they went to war with us," Bunji quietly supplied, knowing that Konoha had the largest collection of advanced bloodline clans.

Before any of the other Captains could comment a knock was heard on the office door. Seeing the Hokage's nod Ibiki opened the door to see one of the ANBU guards holding a small scroll. Accepting the scroll and closing the door the Interrogation Captain cracked the tiny seal and began to read. His normal frown deepening Ibiki immediately moved across the room to hand the scroll to the Sandaime.

His eyes narrowing as he took in the contents Sarutobi did not even look up as he spoke, "I need our fastest squad ready to go to Wave within the next half hour. They need to intercept Kurenai and her team before she crosses the border."

"What is it Hokage-sama?" Anko asked, immediately sitting up in her chair.

"We weren't as careful as we thought when screening missions. It seems Tazuna, the bridge builder that Team 8 is escorting, has a substantial bounty on his head," the old Sarutobi noted, his own mouth turning into a frown. "Apparently he is not the target for mere bandits like he said. The bounty has been posted by the Gato Shipping Company and it is enough to attract even A-rank missing-nins."

All of the ANBU Captains knew what that meant. Kurenai and her genin team would be no match for the criminals that would be coming out of the woodwork in the hopes of cashing in on the bridge builder.

Stepping forward Tenzo spoke, "I'll have a squad ready to go in the next ten…."

"No," the Hokage commanded. "We've already sent one ANBU team to Wave to do reconnaissance for the Daimyo by request of Lady Shijimi. No one would believe that we are sending a second simply to retrieve a genin team. Such an action could bolster the warmongers' position and be twisted to force the Daimyo into action. I will not allow the fragile peace we now have be broken so carelessly if I can help it."

The Sandaime knew well the hawks that were in the Daimyo's Court. They were men and women obsessed with adding to the power of the Country of Fire. They would twist and use any chance they could to push their agenda…and that was something that Sarutobi could not abide.

"But Hokage-sama," Nekoirazu Kenshin protested. "The genin of the team are all members of important clans within Konoha. The Hyuuga will be especially displeased that their heiress…."

Hearing the man continue Sarutobi couldn't help but internally scoff at the mention of the Hyuuga.

"_I may be old, but I am far from blind," _the Hokage noted silently. _"Hyuuga Hinata's status as heiress is at best temporary given how her clan has been acting as of late."_

Breaking from his disgust at the ability for the Byakugan users to play so casually with the lives of such a kind and innocent girl, the Hokage waved of the argument that his Captain of Internal Affairs was making. Kenshin was sometimes one of the smartest shinobi Konoha had, but sometimes he let that intellect and the slight arrogance it brought, blind him to certain realities.

"I want a message sent to Kakashi using our quickest bird," the old man ordered, a plan forming in his mind. "Team 7 is just north of Wave. They are to intercept Team 8."

"What of the ANBU squad already in Wave?" Anko inquired.

"Takara," the Hokage said, looking over to the senior female Captain.

"We can try to send a similar message to them, but there's no guarantee they'll get it," the elder kunoichi remarked. "While I have a rough idea of where they are it is still a rather large area and they won't risk exposing themselves. If we send a summoned creature instead of a normal courier bird the chances of contacting them increase. However…."

"However, they are following standard procedure and will be suspicious of any orders that conflict with their mission," the Hokage noted with an exasperated sigh, knowing of the security protocol regarding black ops. "Alright, I want messages sent to Team 7 and the ANBU squad. Hopefully one of them will be able to intercept Team 8 before anything happens."

"_With a little bit of luck Kakashi and his team will intercept Team 8 and have them back home before we even realize it," _the old Hokage silently hoped as Takara used Shunshin to disappear and carry out the orders. _"If not then…. No, Kakashi will come through and if not him then the ANBU we already have deployed."_

* * *

It was well into late afternoon when Kakashi finally awoke from his slumber. Though he had slept undisturbed for over a day and a half since bringing all three of his genin back to Haruno Buntaro's home, the jounin still felt tired and sore as he exited his room. The use of the Chidori multiple times and the exposure of the Sharingan for so long had been taxing, but thankfully it was something he had learned to deal with over the years. By tomorrow morning the aches would be gone and by tomorrow evening he would be fully fit once again.

"_Thankfully other than a few shallow cuts and bruises my worst injury was the chakra burns on my hands,"_ the grey haired jounin silently noted, looking to his bandaged hands.

Having rendezvoused with the young police lieutenant the jounin had led the man, who carried an unconscious Sakura, back to where he had left Renji. The gruff head of the port's constabulary had actually hobbled out of the side street where he had been left to take refuge across from the burning building that had been the command post for the operation. Amazingly Sasuke had also arrived at the former command post shortly afterwards, though he had his own sullen tale to tell. Upon seeing that all three of his genin were still alive Kakashi had silently rejoiced. With all the explosions and the attacks that had occurred he had felt a dreadful worry that he had lost at least one if not all three of them at varying points. A lone survivor too may times it was a fear that dwarfed even that of the Kyuubi for the half-masked jounin.

While the events of the night for Team 7 seemed to have stretched on for hours in truth barely a full thirty minutes had passed since the first explosion had nearly claimed the life of Naruto. It was just another one of those things about time and how it was perceived during major events. Though they had been left to face the climax of the events alone Team 7's sensei was relieved to find that the port's emergency services had quickly mobilized. This was especially the case as teams of firefighters, civilian medics, and more of the port's constabulary came flooding into the area. The tired and unconscious survivors of the night needed all the help they could get and thankfully it arrived in spades.

"Ah Hatake-san, it is good to see you up and moving," Haruno Buntaro said, breaking the Kakashi's thoughts, as the jounin walking into the dining room. "I will have food brought up for you shortly and if there is anything special you need please do not hesitate to ask."

The cheerful demeanor of the merchant grated on the nerves of Konoha-nin at the moment, which said something considering Kakashi had learned to live with the antics of Maito Gai. However, even the green spandex loving jounin would have had the decency, no, the common sense to not approach the mask wearing ninja in such a way considering how things had spiraled out of control and nearly taken the lives of Kakashi's team.

"I truly must thank you for bringing my little cousin back safely. Her mother and our grandfather desperately worry for her as do I," the long haired, near effeminate, Haruno male remarked, not realizing the silent glare he was receiving. "Poor Sakura is not suited for such a lifestyle, don't you agree? I assure that the Haruno family would be eternally grateful if you…."

"I was hoping to see my students as soon as I awoke. Do you know where they happen to be Haruno-san?" Kakashi asked suddenly, wishing to steer the subject to something more constructive before he throttled the well-to-do man.

"Well young Sasuke is currently in the gardens running through all manner of exercises. I know you shinobi feel the need to be prepared, but really he should not push himself so hard after you all had such a traumatic experience," the Haruno merchant noted worriedly. "Naruto is still resting peacefully, though you assured me it was normal for him to sleep so much. Sakura however, well my poor cousin has me deeply concerned. She awoke yesterday but has refused to eat and has locked herself in her bathroom. She was sobbing uncontrollably and will not open the door."

"She locked herself away and you didn't think to wake me?!" Kakashi shouted, rising to his feet suddenly and storming out of the room.

"Sakura has always thrown small fits like this…ever since she was a little girl," Buntaro remarked as he hurriedly followed the jounin. "I saw no reason to inform you until…."

Ignoring the man's excuses Kakashi silently cursed how those who had never seen combat before could act so foolishly and ignore clear signs of the traumatic stress brought on by such events.

Coming to the door of Sakura's bedroom the jounin tried the doorknob only to find that it was locked.

Fumbling with some keys Buntaro rambled, "Ah yes, I didn't want anyone to bother her so I…."

Not bothering to listen anymore the Konoha jounin put his shoulder to the wooden door with enough force to break it out of its frame. Letting the door fall inwards Kakashi marched across the room, ignoring the protests now coming from the Haruno following him.

"Sakura?! Sakura open this door! Open this door right now!" the Copy-nin yelled as he rapped loudly on the door.

"Go away! Just…go away!" the tearful screams of the pink haired girl came muffled through the door.

Coming up to stand next to the concerned jounin-sensei, Buntaro remarked rapidly, "I told you and unfortunately she has the only key for that door in with…."

Noting the heavy face of a bolt lock and how the frame fit around the door Kakashi realized that unlike the bedroom door the one for the bathroom swung outwards instead of inwards. Neither listening nor caring really, to what Buntaro was saying the jounin looked to his bandaged hands for a moment before sending the left one forward to punch a hole through the solid core door. Feeling the scrape of splinters on his arm Kakashi pushed farther in and began to grope for the latch on the inside. Before he could find it the half-masked man winced as he felt a sharp pain explode in his left forearm, Sakura had just stabbed him with something.

Finally finding the latch and flipping it open the jounin pulled both his arm free, seeing a pair of sharp scissors sticking out of his arm, and the door open. Looking inside the Copy-nin spied the huddled form of his student in the corner with one of her bed's sheets held tightly around her.

"Please…please don't…don't look at me!" the pink haired girl sobbed uncontrollably.

Moving quickly over and dropping down to kneel on the floor Kakashi pulled the near hysterical girl into a tight hug, just as Naruto's mother had done for him after he had gained the souvenir that now rested in his left eye socket. Making quieting sounds the grey haired jounin rubbed small circles into the young kunoichi's back as her sobs caused her to hiccup.

"Shh…it's okay. It's okay now," Kakashi spoke reassuringly, feeling the growing wet warmth on his black shirt due to Sakura's tears.

Holding the sobbing girl Kakashi's thoughts ran to each of his genin in turn. Naruto was still sleeping, quite normal considering how much of the Kyuubi's power he had drawn out. Though the power and influence of the Fox raised concerns it wasn't something that could be dealt with until the blond actually awoke. Sasuke had actually been one of the first concerns to hit the jounin's mind. The raven haired boy suffered from survivor's guilt and a whole host of issues that Kakashi, himself, could identify with. However, seeing as how the boy wasn't sulking somewhere but instead training it alleviated the worry somewhat. Feeling Sakura shaking in his arms Kakashi knew that the pink haired girl was his primary concern. Naruto and Sasuke could wait, both boys had experienced trauma before and had developed ways to deal with it. Sakura, on the other hand, had nothing to fall back upon and considering that Buntaro had foolishly thought that giving the girl space was the best solution, family support would be out until she returned to Konoha.

"Haruno-san," Kakashi stated sharply, interrupting the other man's blubbering and rambling over the loss of the two doors. "Do you know where I can find a meat freezer?"

"Uh, yes…I have one down in the cellar off of the kitchen," the man said with a nod, his long silver hair moving with the nod of his head. "But what about my…?"

"Do you have pigs hanging in it?" the Konoha-nin interrupted.

Taken aback by the odd question the merchant simply nodded in the affirmative.

Picking up the nod out of the corner of his right eye Kakashi remarked, "I have a need to borrow it then."

* * *

A cry of frustration echoed through the small wooded area just outside the gardens maintained for Haruno Buntaro. The raven haired boy had been pushing himself ever since he had woken the day before, his disappointment in himself fueling his muscles and pushing away the exhaustion that pulled at his body.

"How dare they?!" Uchiha Sasuke yelled as he slammed his bloody fist into the trunk of a tree. "I'm an Uchiha, how dare they humiliate me so?!"

His knuckles bloody and bruised, the trunks of several trees showing where the bark had been stripped from repeated blows, Sasuke let loose his anger. In his mind the words of the two shinobi that he had confronted last night festered in old wounds. The taunting words of Uchiha Itachi mixed with those of the teal haired kunoichi.

"_You are weak my foolish ototo," _Itachi chided.

"No!" yelled Sasuke furiously, hitting the tree repeatedly.

"_You were lucky little Uchiha,"_ the voice of Kaname, the teal haired kunoichi, rebuked. _"Next time…."_

"_Next time ototo,"_ the dark voice of Itachi continued.

"I'll kill you!" screamed the raven haired genin, his hands flashing through several seals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Letting the large fireball fly with no regard for his own safety Sasuke pumped in as much chakra as he could. Speeding forward the ball of flame grew until it struck a copse of pine trees. The moisture in their bark boiling and popping as sap was heated far too quickly the pines let flaming splinters fly as they were consumed.

Running out of breath was what finally ended the jutsu as Sasuke fell to his knees.

"Damn it all…damn it all…damn it all!" the Uchiha heir exclaimed, the volume of his voice rising with each utterance.

Feeling heat on his face from both his rage and the small brush fire that he had started, Sasuke let out a snarl as he climbed back to his feet. Gathering what spit he had in his mouth Sasuke prepared to unleash the single Suiton jutsu he had bothered to learn from the scrolls in the Uchiha library.

"I'll show you luck," the dark eyed genin growled. "Suiton: Teppoudama!"

His cheeks bulging slightly the Uchiha heir spat out a bullet of water not much larger than his fist. Seeing it do barely a thing Sasuke flashed through his handseals again and again and again as he fired off more of the balls of water.

"_Weak am I? Only Lucky am I?"_ the boy internally raged as he doused the fire repeatedly only for it flare back up. _"I'll show you…I'll show you all!"_

* * *

Lying peacefully Naruto felt the cool grass press against his back as a fair breeze ruffled his blond hair.

"_So peaceful,"_ the Shugorei thought idly with is eyes shut.

"_**Are you going to lie there forever?"**_ Konoe asked as he looked down at the form of his creator.

Cracking open an eye Naruto noted that the demonic looking warrior seemed off, blurred and uneven so to speak.

"What's the matter?" the blond genin inquired as he opened his other eye and found that things still remained odd in his sight.

"_**You do not remember,"**_ the Zanpakuto spirit spoke calmly. _**"You can barely see me; in truth you aren't really seeing me but rather only hearing me. Your mind is supplying you with the form you are accustomed to seeing, but even that is beginning to fade away."**_

"I don't understand," Naruto remarked as he moved to sit up only to notice that the world about him, Konoe's world, seemed to be like looking at a piece of shattered glass. "What happened here?"

"_**We were damaged earlier. Your wounds have been repaired by the Fox due to his fear of ceasing to exist,"**_ Konoe explained. _**"However, my wounds can not be healed in such a manner. Only you possess the power to reforge me. If you do not then I shall fade away into the void."**_

The Zanpakuto's words immediately caught Naruto's attention. Pushing of the ground of the mindscape the young Shugorei recalled an important warning that Jinjiro had once made. If a Shugorei's Zanpakuto ceased to exist then they too would fade as one could not live without the other. Konoe had pushed out in a burst of chakra to appear in reality in order to protect Naruto as best he could from the destructive force of the warehouse explosion. However, the cost had been dire, shattering the Zanpakuto both in his spiritual and physical form. Now it seemed that his efforts may have only delayed the inevitable.

"But the Kyuubi repaired me," Naruto said frantically. "If my body is…."

"_**The body, mind, and soul are **__**separate**__** and yet one," **_Konoe supplied sagely. _**"All three are required for life, but should one disappear then all three shall die."**_

Eyes widening in realization Naruto stammered, "I…I have to hurry then. I can't let you…."

"_**Fear not, it will take only a few hours of concentration on your part. My fading will only be complete in a few days if left unattended," **_the Oni like warrior explained calmly. _**"You still have plenty of time if you want to continue to laze about…."**_

"W-wait a minute, you mean to tell me that you were getting me all worried and frightened when we still have plenty of time to correct this?!" the whiskered blond exclaimed.

"_**Indeed,"**_ Konoe replied. _**"However, seeing as you were content to lie around I decided that a proper motivational incentive was in order."**_

Shooting a glare at the blurred vision of the spirit Naruto muttered lowly, "You know what, I really despise you sometimes."

"_**Seeing as how I am a part of you then you must despise yourself," **_the Zanpakuto noted wisely. _**"Perhaps we should seek a psychiatrist out in order for you to deal with such issues?"**_

Giving a sarcastic laugh in response to the attempt by the spirit at humor Naruto slid back down into a cross-legged sitting position.

"So all I have to do is concentrate?" Naruto asked.

"_**Yes, but you must draw from all aspects of yourself,"**_ Konoe said quietly in explanation. _**"Even the part of you that touches the Fox…."**_

"Wait, I thought it was _bad_ for me to do that…," the Shugorei heir suddenly interjected, recalling warnings, vague memories, and the sound of Kakashi's voice, "…or did I miss something?"

"_**It is a risk that you must learn to confront and deal with," **_interrupted the Zanpakuto calmly. _**"However, he is in the same perilous situation as you. If there is one truth about the Kyuubi no Youko that can be constantly relied upon it is his unflinching dedication to self-preservation."**_

"I don't have a choice in this do I?" Naruto responded with a sigh.

"_**One rarely does,"**_ Konoe answered in his usual cryptic fashion.

"Here goes nothing then," Naruto resolved as he shut his eyes and focus all the thoughts in his head upon the singular task presented to him.

* * *

Small puffs of condensing breath escaped from Kakashi's face mask as he stood in the meat freezer provided to him by Buntaro. Next to the jounin, hanging from a large meat hook, was a partially butchered pig. The large piece of pork still looked like the animal it had been in life, except that its belly had been cut open to remove all of its internal organs so that it could be cleaned and readied for preservation in the freezer. Hanging with its mouth towards the floor the pig almost seemed to have a small grin frozen on its face. If Kakashi didn't already know that Sakura was dealing with the issues of the past evening he would have simply noted her unease as being a response to the fact that the porker's smile was directed at the pink haired girl.

Still trembling, now because of the cold being added to her trauma, Sakura's tears had finally stopped. It wasn't that she didn't want to cry anymore it was just that her eyes were already so red and puffy that the tear ducts had simply stopped releasing tears. Despite being clad in her usual attire, something that she had to be forced to do, the young kunoichi still appeared disheveled.

"Alright," the jounin began. "You are going to learn…Sakura? Sakura!"

Raising his voice to grab her attention Kakashi looked down into the fearful eyes of the young girl.

Letting out a tired sigh the Copy-nin quietly spoke, "I know you don't want to be here Sakura. I know you just want to curl up somewhere and be left alone, but that won't help you. Right now you need to…."

"No!" the pink haired girl shrieked, wrapping her arms tightly around her body. "No, no, no! He…they're…. I don't want to! I don't want to do this anymore! I don't want to!"

Screaming and coughing as she worked herself into a frenzy Sakura collapsed down onto her knees.

"Please, please make him go away. Make him go away!" the young genin exclaimed, remembering the threat that had been posed to her by Niimi. "He's going to…he's going to…. No!"

Frantic Sakura began to dry heave, her stomach already empty from having vomited repeatedly in her room.

Dropping down to wrap his arms around his student Kakashi rubbed small circles on her back and softly said, "It's okay, it's okay. I know what he threatened, but he's gone now. He won't be able to hurt you or anyone ever again. It's going to be okay."

"I…I don't…I don't want to do this anymore," Sakura sobbed. "I…I want to go home. I want Okaasan."

"Shh, shh. I know, I know," the grey haired jounin comforted. "But you need this Sakura. You need to do this so that you can go back home, so that you can see your Okaasan."

Rising to his feet Kakashi pulled the young girl up with him.

"I wish I could tell you that it's all going to go away. I wish I could make it go away forever, but I can't and it won't," the jounin supplied softly. "The truth is that this is something that is going to be with you forever, but that doesn't mean that you can't learn to ignore it. You can defeat it and let it fade away to be replaced by other things."

Guiding the pink haired genin over to where the pig was hanging Kakashi took her hands in his.

"I want to watch and listen to me very carefully now," Kakashi said looked into Sakura's green eyes, eyes that were a mix of fear and expectance. "This is something someone very special did for me a long time ago. Just like he used it to help me so am I going to use it to help you."

Reaching out to the hanging pig Kakashi continued, "There's nothing so close to the flesh of a person like that of the flesh of a pig."

Taking Sakura's left hand in his own the jounin guided the girl to different places on the piece of pork as his right indicated where those spots would be on her.

"The kidneys, the lungs, the heart, the carotid artery," the jounin remarked passively, indicating each spot in turn on both the pig and his student. "Each of these is a vital point."

Dropping Sakura's hand Kakashi pulled kunai from the holster on his thigh and jabbed it into the left shoulder of the pig.

"That's a wound, its going to bleed an annoy him but it won't bring him down," the grey haired jounin remarked, his voice growing darker. Taking the kunai out with lightning speed Kakashi plunged it into the spot where he had indicated the kidneys being, exclaiming, "This is a kill!"

Pulling the kunai out again the jounin proceeded to stab it back in where the heart would be, where the lungs should be, before drawing it over where the dead animal's throat, each time uttering, "This is a kill!"

Having severed the bloodless carotid artery on the dead beast Kakashi took Sakura's right hand and wrapped it around the hilt, placing his own hand on her forearm.

"Now you try," the jounin said, catching the frenetic eyes of the girl. "Remember what you were threatened with. Make him pay for that."

Fear was overridden at that moment by anger as Sakura lashed out, laying a jagged slash on the side of the hanging pig.

"That's only a wound," Kakashi stated quietly, taking his right hand and guiding Sakura's. "You want a kill."

As the words escaped the jounin guided the kunai held by the genin into the spot where the kidneys should have been, then where the lungs aught to be, and finally where the heart had once been before once again cutting open the carotid artery.

"Good, now I want you to try by yourself," Kakashi whispered into the pink haired girl's ear as he pulled his hand away.

Turning to look into the eye her jounin-sensei Sakura's green eyes wavered with worry and doubt.

"You can do it," reassured the half-masked man.

Turning wordlessly back to look at the pig Sakura's mind reeled with thoughts. She thought of the all the police officers who had been with her, the cries that they had let out as blood fell upon the cobblestones. She thought of the young lieutenant, he had been so brave and quick to protect her when it was clear that he had little chance of winning. She thought of his smiling face as she woke in and out of consciousness after Kakashi had come and driven of their attacker. How glad she had been to see the young man still alive. However, more than all of that she thought of the cloaked man. It was his fault, he had killed all those people, he had wanted to kill the brave lieutenant, and he had threatened her with a fate worse than death.

Sakura let out a yell, a mix of anger and pain, before driving the kunai deep into where the kidneys of the pig had once been.

"Good," Kakashi said.

Letting out a cry of anger at herself, at the cloaked man, at the world itself, Sakura pulled the kunai out before plunging it back into the pig.

"His lungs, good, but be careful not to get fouled on the ribs," the grey haired jounin cautioned as he watched his student.

Gritting her teeth as her face became a mask of anger Sakura pulled out the kunai and stabbed again, this time into the heart. Hearing the words of encouragement form her sensei the pink haired girl pulled the knife out once again before dragging it across the neck of the pig, severing the carotid in a long, jagged cut.

"Bleed him out, let him think about his end," Kakashi remarked dispassionately.

Standing there taking in deep breathes Sakura let the kunai drop from her fingers to clatter onto the frozen floor beneath her feet. Suddenly feeling a hand touch her right shoulder Sakura sun in an effort to punch whoever had just touched her.

Catching the blow easily Kakashi looked down into the pained and angry eyes of the young girl.

"You've learned how to turn it on," the Konoha jounin remarked with a calm reassurance. "Now I shall teach you how to turn it off."

Leaving the kunai on the floor the jounin put a hand on the young girl's shoulder and guided her from the freezer. It was time to teach Sakura just how effective meditation could be.

* * *

Evening was beginning to fall upon the port city once again. Turning down one of the hallways of Haruno Buntaro's home Hatake Kakashi's thoughts were on the progress Sakura had made earlier. The intermingled sessions of meditation and skills training had done wonders to focus the young kunoichi and help her deal with the situation she had been put in. The little girl she had once been was falling away hopefully to be replaced by something better.

"_She's hardly back to normal, but at least I don't have to worry about her slitting her wrists,"_ the grey haired jounin thought tiredly, memories of his father creeping up from one of the darker corners of his mind.

Shaking his head sharply to try and dismiss the memory of his father's shame and eventual suicide Kakashi was only partially successful. Rather than focus on the dark aspect of what had been the demise of his childhood the jounin turned his thoughts to a certain blond haired ninja.

"_Am I doing the right thing Minato-sensei?"_ Kakashi wondered silently as he looked up to the ceiling.

Namikaze Minato had truly been a lifesaver when it came to Hatake Kakashi. With his father's suicide the young grey haired boy had been left almost completely alone, his mother having died in childbirth along with his unborn sister and much of the rest of his family deciding to distance themselves from the shame brought about by Hatake Sakumo. Unlike his blood relatives Minato had stepped into the young boy's life, taking him as an apprentice and becoming his guardian in the eyes of the law.

"_I made things so hard for you sensei,"_ the Copy-nin thought sullenly, recalling the fights he had with the blond man who only wanted to help.

Reaching down to rub at a faint scar on his belly, hidden under his clothing, Kakashi remembered how despite the care from the descendant of the Nidaime he had still tired to follow his father's suicide.

"_You stopped me from making a horrible mistake,"_ Kakashi thought as he stopped to look up at the ceiling. _"Your words and that pig you had me stab repeatedly did so much for me…and I never got the chance to thank you for that. Instead I dedicated myself to being the perfect subordinate, loyal first and only to you and the mission. You tried to make me see that wasn't what you had intended but I didn't understand until…until Obito."_

Letting out a tired sigh Kakashi let out a silent prayer of thanks to two of the people who had made the greatest difference in his life. Finishing the prayer the jounin thought of his two other students. Sasuke had appeared for dinner looking a little ragged and with soot stains on his face and clothes. When asked why the boy had merely grunted and replied that he needed to get stronger. The raven haired boy's words had immediately earned him a whack to the back of the head by a very grumpy Naruto who had awoken only a few minutes before. The whiskered boy had come grumbling down to the dining room, guided by the smell of food. Considering that the blond Shugorei had proceeded to off his voracious appetite by eating not only seconds but thirds, fourths, and fifths, Kakashi had deemed that other than being cranky the boy was doing fine. On top of all of that Naruto had been carrying his Zanpakuto with him to dinner and to Kakashi that was an even better sign that the young genin was recovered. Only a Shugorei member who was relatively fit had the ability to reconstitute their Zanpakuto after it was lost or damage.

"_At least that's something I've seen before. I still can't believe how lucky he got considering his forehead protector," _the grey haired jounin recalled.

Having seen some particularly odd things in his time Kakashi would easily put the happenings surrounding the blond boy's forehead protector in the truly befuddling category. Only a few hours ago a one of the off duty constables, who had been fishing on one of the piers near where the warehouse had once been in order to relax and catch some dinner for him and his buddies, had come seeking out the group of Konoha-nin. The man had been holding in his hands a slightly blackened piece of metal bearing the emblem of Konoha with a few pieces of charred, blue cloth still attached to it. While everything else that Naruto had carried with him into the warehouse had been destroyed somehow the small item marking him as a Konoha-nin had survived only to be pulled in on the baited hook of the off duty constable.

"_I still can barely believe he accidentally caught it instead of a fish," _the Copy-nin thought quietly. _"It's like one of those tales about someone losing a ring and then finding it weeks later in the stomach of a fish they'd just bought and were preparing for dinner."_

Stepping around a corner the grey haired jounin felt nearly collided with Haruno Buntaro's fiancée, Mira. Though he avoided the running woman the sudden shock of seeing him did cause her to let out and audible 'squeak' of surprise.

"Hatake-san, there you are!" the bubbly woman exclaimed. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Oh, and why is that?" the jounin asked, slightly confused as he and his genin had had little contact with the woman after their initial introduction.

Digging into a pocket of her flowing red dress the sultry woman pulled out a scroll the size of her dainty little pinky finger.

"This arrived from Siri-chan only a few minutes ago. She said it came from a courier bird bearing the emblem of Konoha," Mira explained as she handed the scroll over.

Looking down at the small roll of paper Kakashi easily picked up the minute markings that showed it was addressed to him. Opening the scroll the jounin nearly felt sick as he read and then reread the encrypted message. Only a single word repeated itself in the man's mind as he took off down the hallway to find his genin.

"_Fuck!"_

* * *

The pale light of the moon created an eerie effect in the mists and fog of the Country of Wave. Made up of a a number of small islands the country was one of the smallest amongst the Elemental Nations. However, with its naturally deep harbors and the tiny nation was one of the few safe places where ships could put in when storms raged upon the surrounding seas. This fact had once made Wave a major center of trade along the eastern coast of the continent, but that had all changed nearly a year ago when the Daimyo of the tiny island nation had closed the borders, recalled his diplomats, and expelled all foreigners from his court.

The actions taken by the Country of Wave had caught nearly everyone by surprise. The most surprised had been the members of the royal court in the Country of Fire. Related to the Wave Daimyo by the marriage of a cousin twice removed the Daimyo of the Country of Fire had been especially surprised by the actions of his distant cousin's husband. Envoys had been sent repeatedly only to be rebuffed at the border, diplomacy had failed and now almost a year later the sovereign ruler of the Country of Fire wanted answers. Especially considering many in his Court were making accusations and wild speculations about the act and the odd events that had been occurring along the coast.

Slipping through the mists surrounding the palatial grounds of the Wave Daimyo's home four of Konoha's ANBU were on a mission to retrieve those answers.

Coming to the outer wall that surrounded the small castle each man of the four man squad leapt up to land on the terracotta tiles its top. Gesturing with his hands the Cat masked ANBU in charge of the squad set two of his men out into mist shrouded garden that was surrounded by the wall. Leaping once again, with the last remember of the squad following closely behind, the Cat masked man landed on an open balcony that overlooked the mist hidden gardens. Opening the sliding door the two shinobi skulked into the darkened room.

Moving out of the room and through empty hallways the two ANBU were becoming increasingly aware that things were too quiet. Shinobi pride themselves on stealth, in particular being able to move with barely a sound. Civilians in comparison were noisy as hell and that made it all the easier for a trained shinobi to avoid them, track them, and if need be eliminate them. The fact that the castle seemed as silent as a tomb did not bode well.

"Sarge," the Bird mask wearing ANBU behind the squad's leader spoke. "Something doesn't feel right."

He didn't say it but Cat agreed. The entire castle was dark, even if it was the dead of night there should still be lights on for those who worked to keep the place running. However, from what the team of ANBU had seen there no servants around, nor were there any guards. For a place such as a Daimyo's castle to be unguarded…well that just spoke of something being wrong.

Touching the radio transmitter around his neck the Sergeant called in the other two members of his squad, "This is Cat, situation report."

"The garden is overgrown, hasn't been tended in months," came the response. "We've got something that looks like fire residue here and…wait. Someone else is here, we've got…."

Hearing static suddenly come over the com the ANBU Sergeant reached down to adjust the radio.

"Say again," the man called into the transmitter fastened around his neck.

Hearing nothing but static the ANBU pointed back tot the way he and his partner had come. Forgoing stealth in favor of speed the two simply crashed through the thin wooden and plaster walls. Arriving at the balcony the two had entered from all it took was a simply leap to get down into the gardens where the other two members of their squad should be.

"Spread out, I want Bear and Lizard found," Cat ordered as Bird landed behind him.

Before either ANBU could move a low, pained moan caught their attention. Moving towards the sound the two ANBU splashed through the shallow Koi pond that bisected the overgrown garden. Pushing through the mists the two nearly tripped over their comrades.

"I've got Bear over here," Bird said quickly, moving to kneel next to the fallen ANBU.

Bulkier than either of his squadmates Bear looked like a pin cushion as numerous senbon needles stuck out of his body.

"Hold on buddy I've got you," Bird said as he reached into this supply pouch to fish out the scroll that held his sealed medical supplies.

"I've got Lizard here," Cat called from a few feet over. "…what's left of him…."

At Cat's feet were pieces of what had once been a man. His torso severed in several places and his mask half shattered Lizard looked like the work of a deranged butcher. Having lost a man unexpectedly and with no sign of an enemy Cat made a command decision.

"Prep Bear for extraction," the squad leader ordered. "We're getting out of…."

"Aaah!"

'Thunk!'

Hearing the yell Cat and the heavy sound of something hitting the earth behind him Cat spun to see a massive sword sticking out of the earth at an angle. Though the mists made it difficult to see the ANBU could tell that there was blood flowing down its edge. Just past the weapon the form of Bird was bisected in two from his groin to the tip of his head.

"Shit!" Cat exclaimed, pulling the ninjato from his back.

"There are numerous vital points on the human body that can bring death if damaged," a deep voice echoed through the mists of the garden. "I've already chosen which one that shall be your end."

"Show your self coward!" Cat cried out, daring whoever had attacked and killed his men to come out.

Turning frantically in the effort to guard himself form every angle the ANBU Sergeant suddenly picked up a hint of movement. Eyes widening in panic under his feline mask the man quickly noted that the massive sword that had been stuck into the earth was now gone.

"Your left clavicle," the deep voice spoke behind the near panicking ANBU.

Spinning and striking out with this blade like a snake suddenly confronted by a mongoose the squad leader suddenly felt a sharp pain erupt from his right forearm. Losing the feeling the arm the Cat masked ANBU looked down to spy a thing senbon sticking out of his arm as his ninjato fell from loose fingers.

"Your left clavicle is the point that I have selected," the voice said, now in front of the wounded man.

Looking up from his arm the ANBU felt his mouth go dry as he spotted the shirtless form of a well muscled man holding the massive sword aloft. With short dark hair and bandages wrapped around the lower half of his face the ANBU didn't need to see the slightly cocked forehead protector from Kirigakure to know who he was looking at.

"Momochi Zabuza," Cat barely whispered out before the massive sword of the Devil of the Mist came crashing down to slice through his left clavicle and continue down to severe his body on in twain.

Watching dispassionately as part of the Konoha ANBU's body fell away at the angle it hade been sliced through Momochi Zabuza was joined by three other mist shrouded forms.

"Gozu, Meizu," the former Kiri jounin said, indicating the pair known as the Demon Brothers. "Check the area, this is a full squad, but that doesn't mean a second isn't lurking somewhere."

"Hmmph…," Gozu scoffed, "…Konoha ANBU are hardly a challenge…."

"…compared to those of Kiri," Meizu finished, adding his own low chuckle to that of his elder twin's.

"Do not base your judgment upon those we have slain," remarked a youth wearing the mask of a Kiri hunter-nin. "These four were divided and caught unaware. If the situation had been different they could be gloating over your corpses instead."

His anger showing Gozu exclaimed, "Why you little brat…."

Before Meizu could complete his brother's sentence Zabuza's own displeasure became apparent as the pressure of his killing intent erupted throughout the garden.

"Do as I say or you shall be joining these four," the Devil of the Mist growled.

Disappearing quietly as the mist swirled around where they had been standing the Demon Brothers moved to carry out their orders. They knew well that Momochi Zabuza did not make threats, only delayed promises.

Hefting the Kubikiri Houcho onto his shoulders Zabuza turned and walked over to where the Bear masked member of the Konoha squad lay. Senbon sticking out of his body the man was still as the jounin looked upon him. Gripping the massive Head Cleaver in his hands Zabuza spun the blade over his head as if it weighed nothing before thrusting down with it to severe the ANBU's head from his body.

"You have yet to kill your heart," Zabuza spoke in a low voice. "I have no use for a tool that is broken, Haku."

Dropping down to bow before the former Kiri jounin, Haku apologized quickly, "Forgive me Zabuza-sama, I thought you would wish to question him and…."

"Do not presume what my thoughts are, act as my words direct!" the well muscled missing-nin snarled loudly. "Do not continue to disappoint me Haku or it will be your head that I remove next."

"Hai," the fake hunter-nin responded demurely.

Landing in a crouch back before their leader, Gozu and Meizu bowed their heads.

"It appears that no other Konoha-nin are around…," Gozu began.

"…however, the presence of these four…," Meizu continued.

"…have kept us from pursuing the bridge builder," they both finished.

"It matters not," the Devil of the mist remarked. "The old man is predictable. We may not be able to find him outside of Wave now, but he will return."

Seeing that the Bear mask had fallen off to reveal the face of the dead man underneath Zabuza wordlessly stomped down onto the porcelain depiction of a Bear, crushing the white and brown mask and driving its pieces into the soft ground.

"When he does we shall be waiting for him," Momochi Zabuza stated with a dark chuckle. "And we shall kill whoever accompanies him."

The chuckle echoed darkly around the overgrown garden as the missing-nin disappeared back into the moonlit mists.

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**AN:** _Well here it is, the next chapter. I'd say that the next one will be out quicker but that isn't going to be the case. I've got my final presentations for the semester coming up over the next two weeks. On top of that I have to grade undergraduate papers and exams Sorry to say but the next chapter may take a while. Anyways, some good news is that 'I am the Bane of My Sword' has finished another piece of fanart. This new picture is even better than the first two, which is really something since they were pretty awesome. I've posted the link in my profile along with the others so check it out. Also, I ask that you leave him some feedback as it was really great of him to take the time to make these pictures. Oh and by the way, the scene with Sakura and Kakashi in the meat freezer is based upon a similar scene from the movie Gangs of New York by Martin Scorsese.  
_

_**Tyrchon**_

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	18. Chapter 17: Danger Lurking

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

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_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 17 – Danger Lurking**_

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"It's too early for this shit."

"Ano, it's only…it's only ten in the morning Kiba-kun," Hyuuga Hinata noted softly.

"That's still too early!" Inuzuka Kiba shouted, Akamaru giving a bark to show solidarity with his partner. "Sleep is…(yawn)…good for you."

"Considering that you had first watch and were able to sleep undisturbed until we broke camp you should be rested well enough," Aburame Shino countered in his usual stoic manner.

"Will you brats be quiet, we're coming up on the bridge and I don't want trouble," the ferryman whispered harshly.

Hearing the reprimand Kiba turned quickly where he was seated to look glare at the man paddling the small boat through the still waters, a harsh retort forming on his tongue. However, whatever the young Inuzuka had cooked up died silently as Yuuhi Kurenai flashed her crimson eyes and shot a reproving glance at her young student.

"Please remember that we are on a mission to protect Tazuna-san here," Kurenai remarked quietly, only loud enough for those in the boat to hear, indicating the old man sitting next to her. "The mists give us cover from bandits but only from their sight. Bandits may not be shinobi but that doesn't mean their ears don't work."

Sitting quietly Tazuna shifted his spectacled eyes to look away from the genin team he had hired. Pulling at his odd, turnip shaped hat the old bridge builder took a deep sip from the large bottle of cheap sake he always seemed to be carrying. The man was nervous, so much so that even the three genin had picked up on it.

It wasn't surprising really, the thick mists that often rose up around the small island nation of Wave were perfect to utilize for ambushes. For this reason small groups of pirates and bandits had made found the small country a haven. Unlike the Country of Water, which had Kirigakure and was counted as one of the five major powers of the Elemental Countries, the Country of Wave had little in the way of military might and used its small army to do its best to hunt down the roving bands. However, the small force was according to Tazuna under strength and stretched thin, unable to protect the large bridge he was constructing between his homeland and the mainland of the Country of Fire.

Looking over to Team 8's client Kurenai said, "Tazuna-san, I was lead to believe that the mists and fogs usually dissipate by mid morning."

"It usually does, but because of the way the currents surrounding Wave mix cold and warm water together they can last longer. It's super-annoying," Tazuna responded slowly, dabbing at his forehead with the small white cloth that he had lying on his neck. "If it's not cloudy today then the super noon day sun will easily burn it all off."

Nodding in acceptance the Konoha jounin was preparing to ask about something else when the surprised murmuring of her students caught her attention. Looking back to the bow of the boat to reprimand the three genin Kurenai spotted what the murmuring was about. Her breath catching in her throat the raven haired kunoichi spied the massive concrete and steel form of Tazuna's partially complete bridge looming through a small break in the fog.

"There it is, my super-awesome bridge," the old builder spoke proudly before taking another swig of sake.

Despite Tazuna's habit of using the word 'super' too often in his descriptions Kurenai couldn't help but silently agree, this time at least. The incomplete bridge was far taller then she had imagined. Sitting in the small boat as it crossed underneath the arcing span of the structure she likened it to standing at the base of the Hokage Monument and looking up at the four faces that had been carved into the rock of the cliff face.

"Impressive," Kurenai noted.

"And that is why I am Tazuna, super bridge builder extraordinaire," Tazuna remarked, pleased with himself and the effect the sight of his bridge had.

Listening to Kiba wildly whisper about details he had been able to spot of the massive structure Kurenai felt a smile tug at her lips. While Hinata and Shino were just as impressed by the sight their natures kept them relatively quiet, especially when compared to the energetic Inuzuka.

"You brats better start showing me some super respect now," the old man chuckled heartily before taking another long sip from his sake bottle.

Showing his annoyance at the old bridge builder's constant reference to them as brats Kiba began to respond, "Fuc…."

"Kiba!" Kurenai sharply interrupted, sending a stern warning glance towards the boy once again.

Grumbling lightly the Inuzuka turned back around in his seat to face forward once again. Akamaru, however, let out a small growl towards Team 8's client, mirroring Kiba's attitude, before moving to sit in his partner's lap.

Noting the frustration the young ninja was feeling in regards to the bridge builder Kurenai could breathe a sigh of relief that her other two students weren't also showing the same degree of annoyance. Oh she was quite aware that both Hinata and Shino were feeling annoyed with the man, but both of them had yet to voice it and would be unlikely to do so. Hinata was just too shy and proper while Shino was too much of a stoic.

"Thank Kami for small favors," the jounin-sensei of Team 8 sighed quietly, both for the quiet nature of two of her students and the fact that the small boat they were all in was now only a few feet from the shore. "Hinata."

Hearing her name the young Hyuuga knew what to do.

Running through a few handseals the girl closed her eyes for a second before opening them wide as the blood vessels around them bulged as she quietly spoke, "Byakugan."

"My home is only a little ways away from here," Tazuna spoke, preparing to stand to leave the small boat only to be gently pulled back down by Kurenai.

"Anything Hinata?" the raven haired jounin asked.

Staring out into the mist shrouding the shoreline and the woods beyond the girl closed her eyes, letting the blood vessels return to normal. Keeping her eyes closed for a few moments the timid girl gave a quick shake of her head, indicating the all clear.

Catching the sign Kurenai spoke, "Kiba, Shino."

"Understood," the young Aburame said stepping out onto the shore and moving to stop just shy of the first tree.

"Yahoo, let's go Akamaru!" Kiba crowed happily, leaping out of the boat with his canine companion to stand just before the small path that had been cleared through the woods.

"_Hinata may have confirmed no one present out there, but if anyone was out there they'd know we're here now,"_ Kurenai silently bemoaned.

Watching Hinata get out of the boat Kurenai turned to Tazuna and helped him to his feet apologizing as she did so, "I'm sorry for stopping you Tazuna-san, but I wanted my team to confirm that we won't be stepping out of this boat into a group of bandits."

"Ah…um, yes," the old bridge builder blubbered, glancing about nervously for a moment. "One can't be too careful I guess."

Helping the man out of the boat before watching him wave in thanks to the ferryman Kurenai turned back to her students. The three genin had deployed in one of the standard formations she had taught to them. All three looked to be ready to go without a single word from their sensei.

"_They're learning well,"_ Kurenai thought, a small smile showing her approval. _"And it seems that the mist is beginning to clear up."_

Indeed the mist was thinning out. Seeing the varying signs of readiness in her students Kurenai gave a nod and Team 8 began to move down the path that would take them to their client's home. Kiba and Akamaru were on point, their excellent sense of smell ready to pick up anything. Hinata and Shino followed only a few feet behind. The young Hyuuga was in the perfect place to use her ocular bloodline to see around the group while the Aburame boy had already deployed several small groups of Kikaichu out to guard the flanks. Following behind the two quiet genin Kurenai had Tazuna by her side.

Everything was relatively quiet as the small group made its way down the worn pathway. As Tazuna had indicated the mists were clearing away, one could begin to see the yellow rays of the sun breaking through the scattered clouds overhead.

Walking for just over half an hour Team 8 was beginning to feel good about there mission. What mist was left was fading quickly as the sunshine intensified. So far the mission was proceeding well enough; in fact it was almost boring since they hadn't seen any sign of bandits yet.

"Hey look, a lake!" Kiba shouted back from his position up front, pointing with his right hand towards glistening blue waters.

"That ain't a lake brat," Tazuna corrected, dabbing at the sweat on his forehead with his cloth. "That there is a super-bad lagoon and salt marsh. Some nasty things make there home in there, so I'd keep a firm hold on your super-small pooch if I was you."

"Bbbb-bad things?" Hinata stuttered.

"Yeah, there are some small sharks that use it as a nursery but the real super danger is the super-mean crocodiles that have adapted to the semi-salty waters. Those fellas can grow huge and have a very short temper," the old bridge builder explained. "They like to wait partially submerged by the water's edge. When anything comes down to get a drink they launch out in a perfect ambush. They get a hold of you and you better be super sure you have a super good relation with Kami cause you going to be seeing Him."

Her eyes widening in worry and fear Hinata glanced at the waters that were still nearly twenty yards away. While it wasn't too odd to see the young heiress like that what did surprise Kurenai was the fact that Shino too was hesitant to move closer.

"Um…I think we'll take your word on that. Right Akamaru?" Kiba remarked, trying to put on a brave face but showing his nervousness all the same.

"My home is just east from here. We need to follow the shoreline for a while," Tazuna said, causing all three genin to look at him. "No worries though, the path's super-good and usually clear of danger this time of year."

Hearing that, Kurenai breathed a sigh of relief. There were few things that scared her, having gotten over the normal girly dislike of bugs and reptiles seeing as she had worked often with members of the Aburame and had Anko as a roommate. However, the fear of being devoured alive was something that she had never been able to shake. Being told about the local crocodiles brought that fear back rather quickly.

"Though with it being the beginning of mating season the crocs can be especially ornery and unpredictable," Tazuna suddenly added, bringing the worries of Team 8 crashing back full force.

Standing still for a few moments the Konoha team looked back and forth between the glistening waters and the old man they were tasked to guard. A mission was a mission, but then again….

"Sensei there's…?!" Shino suddenly broke the silence just as Akamaru let out a bark and dove into a set of bushes.

"Akamaru?!" Kiba shouted, hearing his dog yapping amidst the rustle of leaves and branches.

Just as quickly as he had disappeared the small, white pup came trotting back out of the undergrowth. Carefully clutched between the dog's jaws was white rabbit. The cute little bunny was breathing quickly, terrified of how its neck was lightly in Akamaru's teeth.

"All that for a stupid rabbit?!" the young Inuzuka shouted as his dog brought the living trophy to him proudly. "You're almost as bad as Chouji sometimes Akamaru, always thinking with your stomach."

Letting out a whine Akamaru noted that Hinata had moved to kneel next to him and was holding out her hands. Hoping to receive some praise from the girl, seeing as his master and friend was miffed; the small dog turned and looked up at the always kind Hyuuga heiress expectantly. Seeing the girl's hand coming towards his head the dog wagged his tail in the hopes for a good scratch behind the ears only to have his prize lightly plucked from his jaws.

"There, there Usagi-kun," the young kunoichi spoke quietly, lightly petting the scared rabbit. "Akamaru isn't going to eat you."

Watching the scene Kurenai shook her head and let out a small chuckle. Akamaru was whining and letting out a few yaps as Kiba dressed him down for just running off after a rabbit. The dog seemed less concerned with that and more with how Hinata was cradling the white rabbit protectively.

"_One of the most normal things about Hinata, her love for things that are small, cute, and cuddly," _Kurenai silently noted. _"The white fur does make it look…."_

Her mind suddenly clicking and recognizing the small yet important detail Kurenai tensed.

Standing impassively Shino spoke, "Sensei, my bugs…."

"Down!" Kurenai suddenly ordered interrupting her stoic student as she caught sight of something whirling through the air towards the group.

Acting on an instinct honed through training and a trust in their sensei the genin of Team 8 didn't hesitate and immediately dropped down. As Hinata fell her grip on the rabbit loosened and the small creature leapt free to disappear into the bush from whence it had come.

Reaching over the senior kunoichi pulled a stunned Tazuna to the ground only mere second before the whirling object passed over them and the prone genin. Getting the smell of the moist earth in her nose from where she was laying Kurenai looked up to the see the whirling object angle upwards and slam into tree on the edge of the water. Shaking the tree as it lodged horizontally in the trunk the object was easily one of the largest swords the Konoha kunoichi had ever seen.

"I'm disappointed, I was expecting a challenge and yet all that I get is a woman babysitting a group of brats," the voice of a man said as he appeared to stand on the handle of the large sword as it stuck firm in the tree.

Moving into a prone kneeling position in preparation to go on the offensive or defensive Kurenai watched the man turn to reveal the white bandages that hid the lower half of his face and the slightly cocked forehead protector of Kirigakure with long tails of blue cloth falling down to the right side of his head. Her mind going through the options her team now had Kurenai felt her heart nearly stop when what she saw suddenly clicked together with the information she had reviewed from the latest version of the Bingo Book put together by Konoha.

"Momochi Zabuza," the crimson eyed kunoichi noted her tone deadly serious. "A-ranking missing-nin and former member of the Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen, wanted for an attempted coup d'état against the current Mizukage."

"Oh so you know of me, eh woman? I'm flattered," the former Kiri-nin mocked. "Unfortunately you don't appear in my Bingo Book and that means you aren't worth my time. However, you and your gaki there are in between me and my target. So, why don't you hand over Tazuna now? If you do then I promise that your deaths will be quick and relatively painless."

"Tazuna?!" the Konoha jounin asked, looking over to the cowering bridge builder.

"I…I'm sorry, I…I didn't have a choice!" the man blubbered apologetically.

The short flash of confusion on Kurenai's face and the look of panic held by Tazuna caused Zabuza to let out a long, dark laugh.

"So, he didn't tell you eh?"" the missing-nin remarked. "That old drunk has quite the price on his head. I originally had an exclusive contract on him from Gato, but other business kept me busy so the bounty was increased and opened up. Lucky for me though, I found you first. Now my payday won't get…."

"Listen peach!" Kiba shouted, picking on the family name of the missing-nin. "If it's a fight you want then it's a fight you'll get! We ain't scared of you!"

Hearing her brash student's taunt Kurenai's eyes widened in concern. Zabuza was dangerous enough as it is and here Kiba just went and decided to piss him off by needlessly taunting him.

"_If we make it through this Kiba is going to have a lesson on why it is not always a good idea to mock an opponent," _the Konoha jounin thought quickly as she shifted her gaze between her student and the missing-nin.

His right eye twitching in annoyance at the taunt Zabuza responded darkly from his perch, "A peach am I? It's been awhile since someone was stupid enough to try and use such an unoriginal insult against me."

"Well if you want more then why don't you get your ugly ass down here bandage face!" the young Inuzuka yelled, Akamaru barking in support.

"Kkkk-iba…," Hinata tried to silence her friend and teammate, having heard of Kiri's Seven Swordsman from the members of her family.

"Kiba," Shino reproached, also knowing the reputation of Kirigakure's legendary killers.

"Aw come on you two, this guy ain't nothing but show!" Kiba remarked shifting his hooded coat slightly to be more comfortable.

"Nothing but show am I? Your ignorance is astounding gaki," Momochi Zabuza remarked, his eyes narrowing. "Let me enlighten you a little before you die. Kirigakure is often referred to as the Bloody Mist. This is due to the old genin exam that was used by my home. You see the graduating students would be paired up and forced to fight to the death. Friend against friend, it didn't matter because it was the only way to earn your status as a true shinobi, a true killer. However, the practice was ended the year an entire graduating class was slaughtered by a far younger student. This one student killed every last genin candidate even though they were supposed to be better than him."

Hearing the barbaric selection method and then the fact that it had only been ended after an entire class had been slaughtered Kiba grew pale.

"I still remember when the instructors came to the testing area and found me drenched with the blood of those fools that I had killed," Zabuza spoke, a dark hint of nostalgia in his voice. "Compared to the genin we used to produce you ain't nothing but a child who plays at being a ninja just because he's got a shiny piece of metal on his forehead."

Mouth agape Kiba's eyes had widened to match those of his teammates, the realization finally sinking in. Taking a few steps backwards the young Inuzuka bumped into Hinata, who looked as if she was ready to be sick.

"Team 8! Formation Delta 3, protect Tazuna!" Kurenai ordered, breaking the three genin out of the stunned silence.

Watching as her three students moved to form a semi-circle of protection around their client Kurenai stepped forward, her duty clear.

"You won't touch them 'Devil of the Mist', I won't let you," the raven haired kunoichi spoke clearly, her crimson eyes flashing in the late morning sun.

"We shall see, won't we?" Zabuza replied before running through a few handseals. "Kirigakure no Jutsu."

The words escaping his mouth the mists that had faded away came swirling back thicker than before. Standing in the silent fog Kurenai suddenly felt the pressure of the area increase as Momochi Zabuza unleashed his killing intent.

"_Such a terrible potency,"_ the Konoha jounin noted as she steeled herself for battle. _"This is going to be…."_

Hearing a soft cry Kurenai turned to see all three of her genin suffering from the effects of the missing-nin's killing intent. Kiba was on his knees panting heavily as Akamaru whined. Shino was bent over, his hands on his knees, sweat rolling down his face. Hinata was…the poor girl was gripping kunai and preparing to plunge it into her throat. Reaching out quickly Kurenai caught the young girl's hands before they could move.

Concentrating a moment to break the spell that had been put on her team by the deadly nature of the killing intent Kurenai looked into white, tear filled eyes and said comfortingly, "It's going to be okay Hinata, I'm not going to let anything happen to you three. Trust me."

Seeing the silent nod from the young girl and the reassuring nods from both boys, Kurenai stepped back and turned to face where her opponent had been. While she was a jounin of Konoha deep down the kunoichi knew that against a killer like Momochi Zabuza her chances of winning were only fifty-fifty. No one got a nickname like 'Devil of the Mist' unless they were truly vicious.

"Such a touching moment," Zabuza's voice echoed forth from the swirling mists.

The last word sounding closer than the others Kurenai spun to see the former Kiri-nin standing directly behind her and her team.

"All too easy," Zabuza spoke, readying his Kubikiri Houcho to cut through the group, only to feel a sharp pain in his neck.

"Yes, all too easy," Kurenai said from behind the missing-nin, her kunai plunged deeply into the man's neck, the vision of her in front of her team dispersing as the small Genjutsu was released.

"So, you're a Genjutsu user eh?" the swordsman noted dryly. "That's just fine."

Astonished with the man's ability to speak even though his throat had a kunai plunged into it Kurenai's eyes widened as 'Zabuza' burst into water.

"Mizu Bunshin," the kunoichi said frowning. "Damn."

"I was hoping for a challenge, but…," Zabuza spoke, hidden by the mist once again, "…my silent killing assassination techniques versus your ability to use illusions…hardly a contest really. The advantage is mine seeing as how your ability to fight me is compromised by the presence of the old man and those brats…not to mention that my mist protects me somewhat from many of the techniques you may decide to use."

"_He's toying with us, using the mist and his taunts to try and frighten us into making mistakes and he's right. Most of my deadliest Genjutsu rely on being able to locate my target. With his use of the mist I've got a bad handicap," _Kurenai silently noted, her sense shifting to find the missing-nin. _"I should've used the advantage of Kiba's distraction earlier to launch one of my deadlier illusions. Zabuza's nearly a perfect predator in this environment and I don't have the necessary chakra to disperse the mist completely. If only…."_

"Kiba, Shino, Hinata," the jounin-sensei of Team 8 suddenly spoke to her genin. "I need you to be my senses right now. If you can locate him then I can kill him."

"Several of my Kikai have already attached themselves to him Kurenai-sensei," Shino spoke up. "However, the mist is limiting the scent of their pheromones and the chakra concentrated in it is confusing the others that I've sent out. I can only give you direction within a few yards of our position."

"Akamaru and I are having the same problem," Kiba added in a growl. "This chakra mist is muddling his scent and spreading it everywhere. However, we Inuzuka aren't just limited to our noses."

Pulling down the fur lined hood of his jacket Kiba concentrated on the chakra he normally used to enhance his sense of smell. His ears twitching slightly the young genin closed his eyes to concentrate on the new sounds he was picking up.

Hearing the subtle scrape of a shoe on dirt the young Inuzuka suddenly yelled, "At three o'clock and nine yards out! Wait, he's moving! Shit, I lost him!"

"Hinata, where is he?!" Kurenai demanded as she looked about blindly.

Chewing on her lower lip, too nervous to say anything, Hinata hesitated as she tightened her grip on the kunai she held in her hands.

"_No, I…I can't. I'm a failure, just like Otousama says. I'm going to die and so is everyone else,"_ the young Hyuuga Heiress though with fear.

"Hinata! Where is he?!" Kurenai demanded again.

Feeling tears welling in her eyes the young kunoichi began to shake and hyperventilate as the fear of being a disappointment mixed with the fear of death. Her stomach churning Hinata tasted bile in the back of her throat.

"_I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!"_ the girl repeated over and over again. _"I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to…!"_

"_C'mon Hinata! You can do it, kick ass!"_

"_Naruto-kun?"_ Hinata silently asked, recalling some of the happiest moments she had ever had at the Academy.

"_Forget everything else; concentrate only on the here and now. Get out there and just do it!"_

Her memories of the blond boy and his words of encouragement mixing together Hinata felt a small spark burst to life within her.

"Hinata!" Kurenai yelled.

"Byakugan!" Hianta exclaimed suddenly, her courage rising. "He's at ten o'clock high, fourteen yards out, and moving! Wait, he's dropped down and is coming in now from twelve o'clock!"

Spinning Kurenai threw several kunai and shuriken towards where Zabuza should be. Hearing the clang of metal on metal and a curse the Konoha jounin felt a smile tug at her lips.

"_He may be a superior predator in this mist, but with my team I can negate some of his advantages," _Kurenai thought proudly.

"He's coming in again! From two o'clock!" Hinata warned. "Wait, another one is coming in from seven o'clock!"

"Damn Mizu Bunshin," the crimson eyes kunoichi spat as she tossed two shuriken towards the one at two o'clock before putting her hands into seals. "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu!"

The two shuriken multiplying in flight into a cloud of two dozen the kunoichi turned to deal with the Zabuza that was coming in on the group from seven o'clock.

"Look out he…!" the voices of the three genin suddenly erupted together.

Eyes going wide Kurenai saw Zabuza materialize from the mists. Leaping over from the swing of the massive sword the kunoichi landed behind the missing-nin. Her back nearly touching his Kurenai spun with him, hoping to avoid the deadly edged of the blade as he used the momentum of the heavy blade to pivot and follow her. Letting a kunai slide out of her sleeve and into her right hand Kurenai prepared to stab as she moved with the former Kiri-nin. Pivoting hard on her left heel the kunoichi suddenly found herself with a clear view of the man's unprotected back.

"Sensei!" the warning of her three genin suddenly reached Kurenai's ears as the Mizu Bunshin in front of her suddenly exploded as the real Zabuza and his blade cut through the clone.

"Shit!" Kurenai cursed, bringing her kunai down to try and stop the cutting edged of the large sword however the attempt was doomed to fail as the laws of physics dictated.

Placing both of her hands on the kunai and applying all of her strength Kurenai felt pain erupt across her upper body as her elbows were driven back into her chest and ribs. Keeping a hold of her kunai based on training and her own survival instinct the raven haired kunoichi felt her body being lifted off the ground as the small metal instrument was pushed by the heavy swing of Zabuza's sword.

Hitting the ground hard several yards away the Konoha jounin was unable to yell as it suddenly became clear that the wind had been knocked from her. Whether it was due to her hard impact with the ground or the way her elbows had crushed into her ribcage she wasn't sure. Coughing and fighting to get air to her lungs Kurenai barely heard the yells of her genin in time to look up and see Zabuza charging her once again. Rolling to the side the kunoichi was able to dodge the downward swing by the missing-nin, the massive blade crunching into the earth where she had just been. Trying to push herself up to counterattack Kurenai felt pain blossom in her left arm and shoulder as a cracking sound echoed in her ears. Zabuza had used the handle of his sword to twist and land a heavy axe kick just over her left clavicle

"Yaaah!" the raven haired woman screamed, the pain overwhelming her self-discipline.

Focused solely on the pain as she dropped her kunai to instinctually grab at the source of the shooting pain the kunoichi missed the movement of Zabuza using the handle of his entrenched sword once again to pivot on his hand to deliver a nasty spinning kick towards her. Kurenai felt the full force of the missing-nin's right foot as it landed directly in her face. Hearing a popping sound and feeling the new explosion of pain alerted the senior kunoichi that her nose had just been broken. However, that was the least of the her concerns as Kurenai felt her body flying backwards once again only to plunge into cold water instead of impacting with the solid form of the ground.

"Gaahhh, splrrg!" the crimson eyed woman gasped and sputtered as she fought for air as water poured into her mouth and her arms refused to help her keep her head above the surface.

Giving a hard scissors kick Kurenai forced as much chakra to her legs in order to pop onto the surface of the water. Water dripping from her hair and into her eyes, as warm blood trickled from her broken nose, the kunoichi grasped at her limp left arm and the flood of pain that was emanating from her shoulder.

"Sensei!" the panicked scream of Hinata cut through the haze of hurt that was threatening to overwhelm Kurenai's mind.

Looking towards the shore the injured Konoha jounin heard the yell being drowned out by sound of rushing water, a sound that seemed to be growing louder. Before she could think to prepare Kurenai let out a scream as her back felt as if it were being torn open by an eruption of drilling water. Feeling water surrounding her and tossing her about as if she was caught in a massive whirlpool Kurenai felt herself collide with the debris that was stuck in the sandy muck at the bottom of the marshy lagoon.

Panic shooting through her mind as the chance of drowning became real Kurenai desperately kicked with her legs and pulled with her right arm. Clawing for what she hoped was the direction of the surface, as the wild ride and collision with the bottom had disoriented her. Her fingertips just breaking the surface Kurenai suddenly felt a new pain erupt on her head as an iron grip took hold of her hair and pulled. Spluttering and coughing water the kunoichi tried to blink away the slightly salty water that was stinging her eyes. Her vision cloudy the experienced kunoichi could not help but let out a barely audible whimper as she met the cold eyes of her attacker as he stood upon the waters that had been the subject of her group's conversation before his arrival. The large sword was strapped to his back and underneath the bandages around his face the form of a toothy grin hid as he kept a tight grip on her raven hair.

"That was pretty clever to use those kids to track me," Momochi Zabuza said, a hint of respect mixed in with his mocking tone. "To think, those brats carry bloodlines representing Konoha's pride. I've changed my mind, killing you all would be a waste."

Dropping Kurenai back into the water the former Kiri-nin ran through a few handseals before thrusting his arms forward, saying, "Suirou no Jutsu."

Kurenai was barely able to get a breath between falling back into the water and then suddenly finding herself encased in a spherical prison made of water. Barely able to move the kunoichi noticed that as her lungs screamed for air the blue tint of the water was beginning to turn red. Glancing about, her vision a little blurry, the jounin for the first time took in the large scraps and cuts that were on her arms and legs. Pain was nearly overwhelming from her left shoulder to her neck and down in her ribs. Surprisingly, though blood seemed to be flowing nicely from it, her nose and face actually felt numb.

"Kurenai-sensei!" the three genin yelled, seeing the woman beaten bloody and now trapped since the mists had dissipated slightly during the contest between the two jounin.

"I thought my big payday was coming when I found Tazuna, but that seems insignificant next to what I'm going to get for those three brats of yours," Zabuza chuckled darkly as he held the large ball of water. "I didn't notice it originally but you've got an Aburame, an Inuzuka, and even a Hyuuga there. Kumo will pay handsomely for that girl and I'm sure I can find buyers for the boys as well. You Konoha-nin are so proud of your bloodlines, but really that just means you're better tools."

Looking down into the crimson eyes of the trapped kunoichi Zabuza taunted, "Oh I bet you're wondering how I'm going to capture those three when I have to keep a hold of you. Well that's easy."

Pulling his right arm out of where it had been holding the ball of water Zabuza formed a single seal. Wordlessly three exact copies of the man formed from the water beneath his feet.

"These Mizu Bunshin will be more than enough to deal with those brats now that you're out of the picture," the missing-nin chortled.

Watching the clones stalking forward with a confident swagger Kurenai wanted to yell to her students to run, to save themselves while they still could. However, the little bit of water in her lungs and the way her mind was screaming at her to conserve what air she had prevented her from issuing such an order.

"_Asuma, you were right. We weren't ready…," _the crimson eyed kunoichi thought sadly as she recalled the bearded jounin and the night they had shared after meeting in the bar. _"I…please, Kami…please…."_

Regret was the last thought Kurenai had as her vision darkened and her mind disappeared into the dark abyss of unconsciousness. It was regret for her genin, they would die or worst, be sold to the highest bidder for the few secrets that their bodies contained. At the same time it was also regret for herself, regret that she had failed her students, regret that she had failed Konoha, and regret that she had failed to keep the promise she had made to Asuma to meet him for a drink when the mission was over.

While the jounin-sensei of Team 8 began to slip away in her watery prison her genin were facing their own dilemma.

"What…what do we do?!" Hinata asked quickly as the clones moved to close the distance.

"I ain't going to let that bastard win!" Kiba shouted, focusing his chakra to prepare for battle. "Shikyaku no Jutsu!"

Normally looking quite wild Kiba took on an even more feral appearance as his canines elongated into fangs and his fingernails became claws. Twisting his body slightly to accommodate the effect the jutsu was having on his muscles the young Inuzuka dropped down into a prone position as his fingers dug into the earth and legs tensed.

"Flight would be logical and inline with our orders," Shino spoke up before Kikaichu began to swarm out of the sleeves of his coat. "However, it is doubtful we could escape. It seems that fighting is our only hope for survival."

Seeing her teammates steeling themselves to fight Hinata felt doubt and fear erupt once again inside her, but once again they were quashed by her favorite memories. The image of a blond boy with whisker like marks and a wide, toothy grin flashed through the pale eyed girl's mind

"_Naruto-kun, I…I won't run, I'll fight!"_ the demure girl promised, her Byakugan flaring to life as she made a few quick seals. _"I'm not a failure."_

"I'll take the one on the left, Shino take the one on the right, Hinata you've got the middle one," Kiba growled out, receiving nods of consent from the other two genin. "Alright, let's get wild!

Standing with his left hand still holding the water prison Zabuza remarked contemptuously, "So the brats think they stand a chance do they? Alright then, let playtime begin."

Charging towards his target with Akamaru barking beside him Kiba dodged the swipe of the clone's sword. Twisting over the blade the genin landed on all fours and pushed off the ground to claw at the side of the clone's head. Barely missing the boy let out a whoop as Akamaru was able to bite down on the water entity's right ankle. However, that whoop died as the Inuzuka watched his dog get kicked away by the angered clone. Snarling in anger the boy leapt forward to continue to swipe and claw while avoiding the cleaving edge of the massive sword.

Shino did not charge in like Kiba, moving slowly forward and letting his colony of Kikai spread out the Aburame stared directly towards his opponent. Knowing that what speed and strength he had were no match even against the Mizu Bunshin the stoic boy was relying upon his ability to think both strategically and tactically. No words were said, no sound escaped as the young genin watched the clone stalk forward with its large sword in hand.

Never very aggressive Hinata surprised even herself as she emulated Kiba and charged forward, her hands glowing with chakra as she prepared to utilize the Juuken Ryuu. Ducking under the swing of the massive sword carried by the clone the small girl struck out with an open palm strike from her right hand into the stomach of the shocked clone. What was even more surprising was the fact that the single strike, enhanced by the power of the Hyuuga Taijutsu style, caused the clone to explode back into the water that had formed it.

"_I…I did it? I did it,"_ the Hyuuga heiress thought before feeling a swell of pride and confidence, her cheeks coloring slightly. _"Naruto-kun was right…he's always right!"_

Seeing the way the small, timid girl had just ended her fight so quickly caused those present to suddenly pause, well Kiba's fight paused seeing as how Shino's had barely gotten underway.

"_Whoa, Hinata smoked him,"_ Kiba thought quickly before realizing the opening that had been created and lashing out with his clawed fingers to rake across the throat of the clone he was facing.

"Hinata is beginning to come into her own," Shino remarked lightly. "You have made quite the error in underestimating us."

As the young Aburame's words finished the clone he had been facing suddenly burst, revealing the swarm of black insects that had attached to its back without notice.

The clones destroyed the genin of Team 8 looked towards where the real Momochi Zabuza still stood with their sensei imprisoned. Determination was apparent in the way the three stood and even in the wobbly legs of Akamaru as the white pup recovered from the kick it had sustained. Spread out slightly in a skirmish formation the three moved closer to the shoreline and the waters that the missing-nin was standing upon.

"We have a problem," Shino stated calmly.

"Yeah, no shit," Kiba responded quickly, "it's called 'A Fucking Missing-nin' in case you forgot!"

Unfazed by his teammate's remark the young Aburame replied, "I am well aware of that, but how do you plan on getting out to him. He has the advantage in being able to stand upon the water."

"We can, um…swim?!" the Inuzuka offered.

"That would put us at a considerable disadvantage seeing as how he can stand on the water and use it for jutsu," Shino noted, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice as his Kikaichu grew agitated with the idea of being immersed in water.

"We…we have to do something," Hinata interjected, worry growing in her voice as she saw with her Byakugan that Kurenai had lost consciousness and the chakra flowing in her body was beginning to slow.

The gruff laughter of Momochi Zabuza drew the attention of the three before they could try and figure out their next move.

"Oh this is good," the missing-nin mocked as a new clone appeared next to him. "You three are more interesting than I thought."

Watching the man and his clone the genin of Team 8 felt their stomachs twist as the clone suddenly pushed its hand into the water prison holding Kurenai at the same time that the real Zabuza removed his own. There was a small ripple in the sphere at the exchange but it calmed quickly leaving the prison perfectly intact.

Stalking forward and pulling his sword from his back Zabuza spoke, "Don't feel any pride in besting my clones, they barely have a tenth of my strength. Against me you three don't stand a…?!"

Before the former Kiri-nin could finish speaking an explosion of water erupted near the shore where Shino was standing. His shocked eyes hidden by his dark glasses the Aburame fully expected to see the maw of one of the crocodiles that Tazuna had warned them about. However, instead of large, white teeth the boy found a dark, serrated chain wrapping around him.

"One…," Gouzu began as Meizu finished, "…Down."

The two Demon Brothers pulled the thick, bladed chain in between their gauntlet clad arms taught. The coils of the deadly weapon twisted and cut through the hapless Aburame before he could even utter a cry for help.

"Shino!" Kiba yelled, his eyes going wide as Hinata brought her hands to cover her mouth in horror.

Preparing to charge at the new arrivals the Inuzuka halted as he felt a tug on his leg. Looking down the wild boy was surprised to see Aburame Shino holding onto his left pant leg. Not cut into pieces the bug user was definitely wounded as bloody cuts banded his torso and his arms. Looking back over to the new arrivals Kiba spotted pieces of a log that had been used for a hasty Kawarimi, pieces that had some red on them to testify to how close of a call it had been.

"Don't," the wounded genin ordered as Hinata rushed over to him. "I…I'm fine."

Hearing the weak words as his friend seemed to suddenly slip into unconsciousness Kiba turned to stare down the two new shinobi, growling out, "Bastards."

Across the length of the shoreline the Demon brothers looked to where there target had escaped to.

"It seems we missed," Gouzu stated, his voice muffled by the odd breathing mask.

"No niisan," Meizu corrected, his own voice muffled by a similar mask. "We were able to cut him up and now the poison will finish him."

"So you two finally decide to show up?!" Zabuza as he stepped onto the shore between the two former chunin and the genin of Team 8. "What makes you think you can interfere in my fight?!"

"Our apologies, Zabuza-sama, but…," the two brothers spoke in unison "…there was no activity at our own ambush site and we grew tired of waiting. Please do not sully your hands against these three, let us take care of them."

Seeming to contemplate the suggestion the former member of the Seven Swordsmen responded, "Very well, but leave the girl to me. She's a Hyuuga and worth ten times her weight in gold if we deliver her to Kumo alive. I had planned on selling the other two as well, but having all three may be more trouble than their worth."

"We shall be…," Gouzu began as Meizu finished, "…quick about it, Zabuza-sama."

Hearing the conversation Hinata cringed as old fears were brought back. Kiba on the other hand reinforced his beast jutsu and prepared to fight.

"Hinata," the Inuzuka said in a quiet growl. "They're going to come in hard and fast. I…I'm sorry, we should have run when we had the chance. I…."

"Iie, Kiba-kun," the shy girl said, resolute for one of the few times in her life.

Not needing to say anything else the two genin knew that their chances were now almost zero. With Shino they had stood a chance of at least freeing Kurenai and then escaping, but now….

"Akamaru, I know we haven't perfected it yet but…," Kiba began only to get a quick bark from the small dog as it leapt up onto his prone form. "Alright then buddy, here you go."

Flicking a small soldier pill up to the pup Kiba knew what the effect was going to be as he began to carefully make handseals. Swallowing the pill Akamaru began to live up to his name as his fur turned red and his chakra spiked.

"Here we go Akamaru!" Kiba shouted, finishing his seals. "Juujin Bunshin!"

With an explosion of smoke Akamaru transformed into an exact copy of Kiba. The Inuzuka and his canine clone growled, flashing sharp fangs and stretching clawed fingers. Together the two looked intimidating, but that effect was lost on the experienced former Kiri-nin.

"This could prove to be fun," Meizu remarked.

"Fun indeed," Gouzu added before he and his brother charged forward.

Snarling, Kiba and the transformed Akamaru also charged. However, where the Demon Brothers were traveling straight so as to not tangle the chain between them Kiba and Akamaru were weaving back and forth in the effort to distract the more experienced ninjas. The tactic by the Inuzuka and his transformed canine worked in part, as it soon became impossible to tell who the real Kiba was.

One Kiba leapt over the chain stretched between the two former Kiri-nin as the other shot forward to attack the younger brother, Meizu. Landing behind the two demon brothers the first Kiba pivoted hard to attack Gouzu from behind. It was a good tactic seeing as the chain connecting the two brothers restricted how they could move when faced with attack from opposite directions.

"Shall we brother?" Gouzu asked, ducking beneath a swipe and lashing out with a mule kick to catch his attacker in the sternum.

"Let's brother," Meizu responded as he blocked with his gauntlet and used his free hand to catch his own attacker with a vicious punch.

In agreement the two brothers pulled their gauntleted arms hard as the chain detached from each to land on the ground. Free of the useful, but restrictive weapon the brothers moved quickly to retake the offensive.

"Shit, not good," Kiba growled as he and the transformed Akamaru were suddenly forced onto the defensive, ducking under a clawed gauntlet the Inuzuka boy rolled to the side to come up next to his canine doppelganger. "At least those metal claws limit their ability to use jutsu."

"We beg…," Gozu began to say as Meizu landed next to him and finished, "…to differ."

Their clawed gauntlets on opposite arms Gouzu let his unarmored left hand meet Meizu's unarmored right hand. Working together the brothers began to execute a set of handseals.

"Mizu no Muchi," both Gouzu and Meizu said, they're seals finished as a strand of water flowed from the nearby lagoon to become a whip held by the two. "Split!"

Breaking apart the whip also split with the two brothers. Eyes wide Kiba and Akamaru were barely able to avoid being lashed by the cracking strands of water as they snaked around them. Ducking and dodging the young Inuzuka's attention became fixed upon avoiding the water whip…that was a mistake. Pain exploded in Kiba's back as Meizu appeared behind the young genin and slashed with his clawed left hand. His master letting out a pained cry Akamaru missed the quick movement of Gouzu, the missing-nin landing a clawed uppercut that forced the nin-ken out of his transformation.

Seeing her teammate and his transformed companion now in trouble Hinata moved to help them, but was stopped as the form of Momochi Zabuza suddenly appeared in front of her in a swirl of mist.

"Now, now," the dangerous missing-nin stated mockingly. "I can't have you getting too damaged or accidentally killed if I want to collect from Kumo."

Lashing out with a kick from his right leg Zabuza caught the surprised Hinata in the gut, driving the wind from the small girl as she was sent tumbling across the ground. Her rolling stopped Hinata fought to get air back into her lungs, gasping violently as her attacker walked slowly towards her.

"Stay down and this will be over so much easier," Zabuza said with a chuckle as he shifted his Kubikiri Houcho and rested it across his shoulders. "Konoha may pamper those who sport Advanced Bloodline Limits and serve in its ranks but I assure you such treatment is not the norm. Welcome to the real world. Out here you're nothing more than an extra useful tool. You shall serve and when you are all used up you'll be discarded just like the…."

Looking up with her Byakugan still activated Hinata prepared for the heavy punch that the man was preparing to knock her unconscious. However, her enhanced eyesight caught the flicker of familiar chakra as the missing-nin suddenly pivoted to bring his sword around in a back handed swipe.

The clang of metal on metal broke Hinata out of the slight daze she was in. Looking past Zabuza the girl's eyes widened in surprise as she saw a head of spikey blond hair on a short figure holding back the large blade. Blinking several times as her mind tried to accept what she was seeing the young Hyuuga heard a voice that she often dreamt of.

"Yo, Hinata," said Uzumaki/Shugorei Naruto with his trademark grin.

Down on one knee for support the secretive Shugorei heir had his Shikai released. With a double edged blade coming out of each gauntleted forearm the azure eyed boy had the sharp instruments crossed like a pair of scissors to block and hold the deadly edge of the Kubikiri Houcho.

Staring at the blond hair and whiskered face of the boy she admired more than any other, a boy who she…. Hinata was overwhelmed; her mind racing as she wondered how it was that Naruto had suddenly appeared before her.

"_Naruto-kun? How…?" _Hinata wondered as she pushed herself up on her hands before recalling the favored stories told by her mother long ago. _"Naruto-kun…are you a prince sent to rescue me? Are you my prince?"_

Despite all that had happened, despite her being bruised and a little bloody, Hyuuga Hinata could not help but blush a little as she stared at the tense form of the blond boy who was protecting her. In her mind the Hyuuga heiress was torn as her emotions warred with the logical question of how the blond had suddenly appeared to save her.

* * *

Hours before Team 8 would sit down into the boat that would take them across the strait separating the eastern coast of Fire Country from one of the main islands of Wave Country a far larger vessel slipped its moorings to deliver its precious cargo. The wood planking of the ship creaked as the gracefully curved craft raced down the coastline in the pale light of the moon. The crew was moving quickly to fix the sails to put on the extra speed that was being commanded of them by the ship's captain.

"The Sea Lance is the fastest sloop this side of Ocean Country Hatake-san," a gruff seafarer noted with pride as he oversaw the action on the decks of his ship. "So long as the winds don't die on us and the currents remain favorable we should make Wave Country by noon."

"No, I want to get there sooner," Hatake Kakashi said coldly as he threw a single eyed glance at the captain of the Sea Lance. "Time is not a luxury I and my team have right now."

"A..aye, I'll see what we can do for you," the captain said before quickly walking away, unsettled by the look in the Konoha-nin's eye.

Kakashi was not in a good mood at all. His hands were sore from using the Chidori repeatedly, though they were healing quickly given the circumstances. However, what bothered the Konoha jounin more was the nature of the mission he and Team 7 were now on. Walking over to where the still forms of his genin were sleeping next to the starboard rail the jounin thought of what was now being asked of them.

Only a few hours ago Team 7 had been in the port where their initial mission had been taking place. That was until the orders from the Hokage himself had come in. It seemed that Team 8 was possibly entering into a situation where they could be ambushed. Being relatively close to where the other genin team should be Kakashi and his students had been ordered to make an interception and then return home with Team 8 in tow. Time was a major factor and not on the side of the Konoha-nin.

Initially Kakashi had contemplated refusing the order completely. The genin of Team 7 were still pretty haggard from the troubles they had encountered on their own mission. Looking down to see Sakura and Sasuke leaning against one another as they caught what sleep they could Kakashi let out a tired sigh.

"It isn't ideal but we'll do what is necessary," the voice of Naruto suddenly broke through the whisper of the sea spray.

Shifting his gaze Kakashi spied the son of the man he had thought of as a second father. The Blond haired boy was sitting cross-legged, his Zanpakuto leaning vertically against the right side of his chest. The way the boy had his eyes closed suggested he had been meditating.

"You should be resting," the jounin noted calmly.

"I've slept enough all things considered," Naruto replied as he slowly stood, his eyes remaining closed. "You should be the one getting some sleep."

"The privilege of command, do as I say not as I do," Kakashi quipped lightly.

Grinning at the description Naruto opened his eyes to stare out onto the moonlit sea.

"We were pretty lucky that Sakura's cousin provided us the use of this ship," the Shugorei heir noted softly. "While you and I could have covered the distance overland I doubt Sakura and Sasuke would have been up to the task."

Kakashi couldn't disagree with the blond boy's assessment. Sasuke and Sakura both had a lot to work upon in order to become first class shinobi. Naruto also had a great deal to improve upon, but when compared to his peers the blond was leaps and bounds ahead of them.

"Buntaro took a little convincing, but Siri-san and Renji-san both helped tremendously with that," the Copy-nin commented.

Haruno Buntaro had been beyond adamant that Team 7 not leave, concerned about sending his beloved cousin into harm's way so easily. However, pressured by both Kakashi and the representatives of the local magistrate the man had given in. The fact that he had even provided a ship built solely for quick transportation had been something of a surprise, but Kakashi simply chalked it up to the man thinking that the sooner Team 7 completed its mission the sooner Sakura would be safe.

"I feel a bit bad about leaving Siri-san and Renji-san like that," Naruto remarked. "Our mission was…."

"Completed when the smugglers and their drugs were destroyed," Kakashi interjected. "They both understand and accept that. More so they understand that our new orders supersede the contract they had with Konoha. Even if we had stayed it is doubtful we would have been able to turn up anything else. This is just one of those things we need to accept sometimes. Besides, the Hokage will send a support team to follow and tie up any loose ends per standard procedure."

"I still don't have to like it," the blond responded dourly, thinking of someone else actually finishing the mission to which Team 7 had been assigned.

"No, you don't, but that is what is," the grey haired jounin replied before looking at his student more carefully. "Naruto, are you…?"

"I'm fine," the whiskered genin answered quickly.

"You got caught in an explosion that leveled an area of nearly three square blocks, barley escaped death, went berserk and killed two of our enemies, and then had your body forcefully reconstituted," Kakashi noted critically. "I highly doubt you are fine after all of that."

Naruto stood in silence for a moment as he was confronted by pieces of memory from that night. The Kyuubi had saved him from death once again, but at the same time the demon had come dangerously close to taking control.

"_**A blessing and a curse that you must confront everyday," **_Konoe spoke up. _**"The measure of a man's strength is often how he deals with his inner demon. I your case this is both figuratively and literally true."**_

Hearing the words of the Zanpakuto the Shugorei heir gave no reply; too busy trying to remember the details of what had happened. What few things he could recall he didn't like as evidenced by the small frown on his face.

"I remember a little of what happened, mainly bits and pieces," Naruto said slowly. "Those two people I killed, I…I remember a little bit about them. The man…I killed him without hesitation. The girl was the same, but…. She seemed happy that I did it?"

"Hochu Niimi: former Special Jounin of Konohagakure, B-ranked missing-nin, and criminal, that was the man you killed," Kakashi remarked slowly. "I don't know who the girl was, but I can understand why she would be happy to die."

Looking over to his sensei in confusion Naruto began to ask why but Kakashi had anticipated the question.

"Niimi was a pedophile and a murderer, Kami alone knows what he put that girl through," the Copy-nin began to explain. "Considering that she was little more than an emotionless doll when we encountered her I can only reason that she must have been kept and abused by Niimi for years. Even if you hadn't killed her it's doubtful she would have been able to function without Niimi. Predators like him force their victims to lose any ability to think or act independently. It's one of the reasons why Fire Country punishes such criminals more severely than even murderers. Killing a person ends with their death, a victim of sexual assault and rape has to live with it forever no matter how much counseling and help they get. In that sense it is a crime with consequences that extend beyond the initial act. For that girl killing her meant setting her free from the horror that she was forced to live in."

Naruto was silent as he looked out onto the sea and remembered the way the teenage girl had mouthed a thank you to him as he snuffed out her life.

"We often think of demons like the Kyuubi as being the ultimate evil," Kakashi noted in a disgusted tone. "However, I've seen a lot of things Naruto and I can tell you that sometimes it seems that demons can barely hold a candle to the evil that can exist in humans. Demons can be destructive, vile, and cruel, but that is their nature. Humans, however, are always given a choice, whether or not to forsake good for evil. That is what demons lack and why the evil of humanity is far worse."

"_A choice, that's what I have, that's what makes me different from the Kyuubi,"_ Naruto thought quietly.

"If I had to fault you at all Naruto it would be that Niimi died too quickly," the jounin aid, causing his student to once again look at him in confusion. "Niimi killed nearly everyone in the group that was with Sakura before I was able to get to her. However, before I arrive he threatened her with the same fate as the girl you killed. For his crimes and for threatening one of my subordinates in such a manner…I truly wish that Niimi had suffered more before he met his end."

Naruto didn't know how to respond to that. It was one of those few odd times where he got a chance to see into who his enigmatic sensei truly was. Kakashi was almost always in his cool, lazy persona when one saw him. Seeing and hearing the jounin right now it was…enlightening.

Looking over to where Sakura was sleeping Naruto was about to voice a question when Kakashi spoke once again.

"I've already started helping her to cope with everything that took place," Kakashi stated coolly. "Neither she nor Sasuke know the full truth of what happened that night. All that you need to do is be their friend and teammate, I'll handle the rest."

"Are you sure? I could…," the blond boy began.

"The privilege of command," the Copy-nin reminded the young genin. "Or the burden if you want to be negative about it."

"Is she going to be alright?" the whiskered genin asked. "Especially since we are now on a mission with unknown hazards and variables?"

Kakashi seemed to take in several deep breathes, letting the taste of the salty air help him to calm the doubt and worry that clawed at the back of his mind.

"I talked with her before we left, offered her the chance to stay with her cousin and wait for the support team from Konoha instead of coming with us," the grey haired man said, folding his arms over his chest. "Sakura didn't even hesitate with her answer, went so far as to threaten to kill me if we left her behind."

"Yeah, I was going to ask you about that," Naruto remarked suddenly. "Before she and Sasuke fell asleep I tried talking with her a little and noticed that she was acting a bit more aggressive than usual. I mean, yeah she whacks me in the back of the head from time to time for small misunderstandings and…well, sometimes for no apparent reason."

Kakashi let out a small chuckle at his blond student's remark. Naruto was indeed clever as a fox most of the time and more advanced than his peers in a number of ways, but the boy still committed the same sin that all males committed in the eyes of women. The blond was male and prone to stating things in a way that did not take into account certain female sensibilities and sensitivities. The grey jounin recalled experiencing the same difficulty from time to time and witnessing it play out similarly for others of his gender.

"_Heh heh, Minato-sensei got knocked unconscious so many times when he first tried flirting with Kushina-san,"_ the Copy-nin remembered with a little giggle before continuing to listen to his student.

"But earlier she had her left hand planted on the deck with her fingers splayed out while she stabbed a kunai rapidly into the wood around them. When I asked what she was doing she just threw the kunai at me and got a new one out to continue stabbing the wood," the Shugorei heir stated with an upturned eyebrow. "I got worried that she was going to stab her hand or cut off one of her fingers accidentally, but every time I tried to say something she just threw another kunai at me. Hell, she threw one at Sasuke when I tried to get him to ask her what she was doing and she's never rebuffed him before."

"_Uh, oh…maybe I should have started out first with the meditation and breathing exercises rather than the pig stabbing," _Kakashi suddenly thought, hearing his Naruto's tale and looking over to the deck to see a kunai lodged in a spot that had been repeatedly stabbed. _"Yeah…when we meet up with Kurenai I definitely need her to sit down and talk things out with Sakura."_

"Um…I'll talk to her about that," the jounin-sensei of Team 7 offered weakly, feeling a bit awkward as he was inadvertently the cause. "Just keep an eye on her and be her friend. If she starts doing that again or she does something worrisome let me know."

"And if she hits me in the head again for no particular reason?" the blue eyes boy asked.

"Um…you're on your own for that one," Kakashi remarked easily.

Naruto tapped his Zanpakuto against his leg in thought, a habit he seemed to have been developing. Standing there looking out at the starry horizon as the ship cut quickly through the sea the young blond was pulled from his thoughts by his sensei.

Looking directly at the blond genin Kakashi returned to being serious as he said, "Naruto, I need to apologize to you. I promised that I would protect you three with my life and yet I sent you into a situation where you were nearly killed. All of you got put into bad situations, but you…I should've…."

"I'm a shinobi Kakashi-sensei and before that I am a Shugorei. I choose to live in a world of risks and death," the hidden heir noted quietly. "At the same time I am repeatedly told that I'm a great deal like…like my Otousan."

Kakashi heard the slight bit of hesitation in the boy's voice as he referred to Namikaze Minato. It wasn't exactly as kind as one would expect, but at least Naruto wasn't spitting it out in disgust like the Hokage had noted nearly a year ago.

"Besides, if you had sent Sasuke or Sakura in my place or if you had gone yourself, what would have happened?" the whiskered Shugorei asked rhetorically.

"Don't push it Naruto," Kakashi warned his eye narrowing. "The Fox may have saved you, but that doesn't…."

"It doesn't make me immortal or invincible, I know," Naruto responded calmly. "I don't like using him either, but at the same time between Sasuke, Sakura, and me, who has the best chance of coming out alive in a worse case scenario? It is what is, can't change that no matter how much we might wish it."

Looking at the young blond in silence for a moment Kakashi reached over to rustle the boy's hair. The small smile hidden beneath his mask grew as Kakashi felt his hand get slapped playfully away by the genin.

"_You try acting older than you actually are, but deep down you're a kid just like the others," _the grey haired Konoha-nin silently noted as he looked at his subordinate. _"You seem to both hate it and love it when people treat you as just another kid. So complicated, but that's what makes you interesting and unpredictable."_

Standing at the rail Kakashi let his thought drift back to his previous worries. Looking out onto the sea the jounin contemplated the worst case and best case scenarios, not only for this new mission but for Team 7 in general.

"Naruto, when we make it to Wave Country you and I are going to be the vanguard. I want to find Kurenai and Team 8 as quickly as possible, you and I are the best suited for that," the Copy-nin said calmly, his voice business like. "Hopefully we'll find them before they encounter any problems, but should there be a problem…."

"Jinjiro-hijiji taught me a lot about extraction methods in a hostile situation. With all the traveling we did he said it was something necessary should we stumble unprepared onto a battle or something," the blue eyed Shugorei heir interjected quickly. "I assume you want to use one of the standard plans or some variant of such."

Kakashi gave a slow nod saying, "Yes, should we encounter a problem we'll use a standard extraction method. I'll strike the primary targets while you either assist me or attack a secondary target. We'll strike fast and hard, gain whatever advantage we can, secure our objective, and then get the hell out of there. Remember, our primary concern is Team 8; we don't want a protracted battle."

"Hai, I understand," Naruto replied strongly. "Get Team 8 and then get out before the situation goes to hell."

"That's the idea," the experienced jounin and former ANBU Captain responded. "Hopefully, we'll stroll right in, find Team 8 perfectly safe, and get back to Konoha without any trouble whatsoever."

* * *

"_Yeah, 'no trouble whatsoever' my ass!" _Naruto thought quickly as he contested the strength of the former Kiri-nin. _"Fuck, this guy's strong, no way he's some form of Bunshin!"_

"_**Hmm, seems you got the real thing while your sensei just took out a Mizu Bunshin,"**_ Konoe supplied as he observed the situation through Naruto's senses.

"_I do love a challenge, but this…,"_ the blond thought quickly, his muscles twitching and straining to hold back Kubikiri Houcho. _"…might be a bit much."_

Hearing nothing further from his living blade Naruto ignored the bit of worry that had popped into his mind. Pushing just enough to get a bit of clearance between his release Zanpakuto and the heavy blade of Momochi Zabuza, Naruto rolled to the side as the missing-nin's weapons slammed down into the soft earth where the blond had just been only a few moments earlier. Minding his blades Naruto put his fingers together in the shape of a cross as several Kage Bunshin suddenly appeared around him. With a distinct war cry the clones charged forward as their creator formed a single seal one handed seal with both of his hands.

"Shakkahou!" the blond boy yelled firing off two red balls of fire from his hands toward the missing-nin as two clones were cleaved in two. "Move it Hinata!"

Stumbling to her feet Hinata was able to see that the boy she deeply admired wasn't alone. Across the tiny shore clearing stood Hatake Kakashi having clothes-lined both of the Demon Brothers. At the same time the young kunoichi was able to see a second Kakashi standing out on the waters carefully cradling the unconscious form of Kurenai. Hope blossoming inside her body Hinata quickly noticed that both Kiba and Akamaru were lying on the ground with large gashed on their bodies. Moving quickly the Hyuuga heiress moved to where her teammate was just as Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura landed beside her. Both of the newly arrived genin were panting heavily and red in the face indicating they had just been running hard for quite some time.

"Hin…Hinata!" Sakura said quickly trying to steady her breathing. "Are you alright?!"

"Hai, but…," the Hyuuga kunoichi began but faltered as she knelt down next to a bloody Kiba.

Ignoring the two girls Sasuke looked to see that the Kage Bunshin that Kakashi had used to stop the two chunin level missing-nin had just burst in a cloud of smoke as two whips of water struck it. The two missing-nin looked a little surprised by the appearance of Team 7 and the blows they had taken from the Kakashi clone, but that surprise was fading quickly and being just as quickly replaced with a malicious anger.

Appearing suddenly via Shunshin next to the small group the real Kakashi set a battered, bloody, and unconscious Kurenai down on the ground. The jounin level kunoichi was in rough shape as her battered body shivered under he soaked clothing. The elder kunoichi's breathing was very shallow and her normally creamy skin was far paler than it had any right to be.

"Kurenai-sensei!" Hinata cried, tears falling from her eyes.

Reaching down to touch the bruised form of the woman who had taken on a role of teacher and big sister to her, Hinata was stopped by Sakura. The pink haired girl's green eyes locked with Hinata's white ones.

"Don't, you could make it worse," Sakura commanded as Kakashi pulled out a few bandages to cover what cuts were visible.

"Hey! If you guys ain't busy…!" Naruto's angry voice suddenly cut across the clearing. "…I could use some help over here!"

Looking over to where their blond companion was Sasuke and Sakura watched the last of the boy's clones burst into a cloud of smoke. Flipping over the swing of Zabuza's sword Naruto, having let his blades retract back into his gauntlets, pushed chakra to his hands to stick to the flat of the massive weapon. Pivoting on his hands the blond Shugorei lashed out with his feet to kick the missing-nin directly in the face before flipping off of the blade.

"Hmmph, so much difficulty over just a Mizu Bunshin?!" Sasuke remarked callously.

"That isn't a Mizu Bunshin," Sakura tersely corrected as Kakashi stood back up from where he had been examining Kurenai's injuries.

"Sasuke, I want you to engage the Demon Brothers. I'll take Zabuza and free Naruto up to assist you," Kakashi ordered, his tone serious and commanding no argument. "While the enemy is distracted, Sakura, I want you and Hinata to retrieve Shino and prepare the rest of Team 8 to leave."

As the grey haired jounin gave out his orders across the small clearing Naruto was trying hard to hold off a very annoyed Momochi Zabuza.

"I am beginning to grow tired of you gaki!" the former Kiri-nin shouted as he moved his sword in a horizontal swipe, attempting to cleave the boy in half at the waist.

Pushing back and barely avoiding the end of the sharp blade from cutting open his belly Naruto pointed the first two fingers of his right hand towards the missing-nin before yelling, "Byakurai!"

The burst of light and electricity lanced forward from the genin's fingers towards Zabuza's head. Tipping his head to the right the former jounin of Kirigakure let out a cry of rage and pain as he received a flash burn to his left ear from the hastily avoided jutsu.

"That! Is! It!" Zabuza yelled, anger and hate coloring his voice. "Playtime is over! Now you die!"

Leaping backwards to stand on the water of the lagoon Zabuza flashed through several seals.

"Suiton: Suiryuudan!" the missing-nin shouted, a massive dragon made of water erupting from behind him and shooting towards the blond genin.

Preparing to use Shunpo to dodge Naruto halted as suddenly a second water dragon came in from his right to collide with and destroy the dragon that had been created by Zabuza.

"Go help Sasuke, I'll deal with him," Kakashi yelled from where he stood on the water looking towards Zabuza.

Not needing to be told a second time the Shugorei heir disappeared using a flash step.

"Copy-nin Kakashi eh? I've always hoped that I would be the one to end you," Momochi Zabuza remarked as he turned to look at the Konoha jounin. "And I get to see that Sharingan of yours so soon, I'm flattered."

"Momochi Zabuza…death is all that I see for you," Kakashi replied dangerously, the Sharingan in his left eye swirling.

"Death? Perhaps for you, but for me…I think not," the former member of Kiri's elite responded.

Staring each other down the two jounin class shinobi flashed through the same handseals as two water dragons roared to life. Streaking forward the liquid creatures exploded in a torrent of water as they collided.

Back on land Uchiha Sasuke ducked to avoid the deadly metal claws of Meizu. Dropping down into an almost sitting position the young Uchiha rocked backwards to bring both of his feet up in a kick that caught the criminal just below the chin. Using the momentum of the maneuver Sasuke moved into a backwards roll that put him back up on his feet. Giving his trademark Uchiha smirk the raven haired boy felt Naruto appear behind him just in time to block a surprise strike from Gouzu. The Shugorei heir had his blades extended once again and his usual fox like grin plastered on his face.

"So, how we doing?" the blond asked cheekily, back to back with his Uchiha counterpart.

"Same as always," Sasuke replied, putting hands together to form several seals.

"That bad eh?" Naruto responded sarcastically as he pushed Gouzu back once again.

"Shut up," the Uchiha remarked, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he finished his seals and took in a deep breath. "Housenka no Jutsu!"

Shooting several small balls of fire out from his mouth Sasuke watched two of them strike a dodging Meizu. Behind him Naruto had leapt forward to open a gash diagonally on the chest of Gozu. Letting his smirk grow the raven haired genin grasped a Fuuma Shuriken in his right hand. Flicking the large blades open to form the razor sharp weapon Sasuke set it spinning and charged, hoping to deal the final blow to the man. However, his actions and Naruto's own were halted as a massive torrent of water suddenly careened across the battlefield.

Smashing into a thick tree the torrent dispersed to reveal a battered Momochi Zabuza slumped against the bark. The leader of the three missing-nin let out a low moan as he tried to stand only to receive an expertly thrown kunai into his both his arms and his legs. The four small knives pierced deeply into flesh and muscle causing the man to slump down like a puppet that had just had its strings severed.

"It's over Zabuza," Kakashi stated as he stepped off of the water and onto the shore. "I told you that you are dead."

Coughing heavily, a small red smear appearing on the bandages covering his mouth, Zabuza replied, "I ain't done ye…unhh?!"

The missing-nin's statement was suddenly interrupted as senbon needles suddenly sunk deeply into either side of his neck. His eyes widening for a fraction of a second the Devil of the Mist fell over face first onto the ground.

"Thank you for your assistance," a ninja bearing the mask of a Kiri hunter-nin said as he suddenly appeared out of the trees. "I've been tracking him for quite awhile but until I came upon your battle no opportunity presented itself to eliminate him. Unfortunately it seems that the Demon Brothers have used this opportunity to escape."

Shifting their eyes around the battlefield Sasuke and Naruto both confirmed that the two ninjas they had been fighting had indeed disappeared. The two genin had only taken their eyes of their opponents for a moment but apparently that was all that was necessary for the former Kiri chunin to escape.

Moving over to touch Zabuza's neck Kakashi found no pulse as he pulled his forehead protector back down to hide his Sharingan. Giving a nod the jounin signaled to his team and to the Kiri-nin that the missing-nin was indeed dead.

"_This kid is barely older than Naruto and Sasuke. To be a hunter-nin at his age, especially one from Kiri,"_ Kakashi thought quickly looking directly at the Mist-nin. _"He must be talented."_

"My thanks once again," the hunter-nin said as he hefted Zabuza's body onto his shoulder. "A body like this holds many secrets. It needs to be disposed of quickly so this is my…."

"Wait!" Naruto suddenly shouted. "Why didn't you help our friends when they were engaged with Zabuza? Were you just using them?!"

Seeing the angry genin stalking towards him the hunter-nin replied calmly with a lie, "No, I arrived shortly after you and your team did. If I had been here earlier I would've…."

"Then hand Zabuza over to us!" the blond genin demanded. "Konoha did all the leg work here and we've suffered injuries because of him! His head will help assuage…."

"Naruto," Kakashi commanded, silencing the boy. "My apologies, but my student does have a point. Perhaps if…?!"

Before Kakashi could finish the Kiri hunter-nin threw several small bombs. Blinded and deafened by the bright flashes and loud bangs the Konoha-nin were unable to prevent the hunter-nin from disappearing.

"That jerk!" Sakura shouted as she came running over to where Kakashi and Naruto were coughing due to the effect of one of the bombs being a smoke grenade. "He won't be getting any help from us again anytime soon!"

"A hunter-nin's reputation and career depend on how they bring down targets," Sasuke commented as he walked over to where the rest of his team was standing. "It's understandable that he…."

"No," Kakashi suddenly interrupted. "Protecting your reputation is one thing, but what he just did is something completely different. It's a good bet that he's not really a hunter-nin from Kiri. He could have been once but now he's most likely another of Zabuza' allies."

"But why kill Zabuza then?" Naruto asked, returning a sealed Konoe back to his sheath. "If he's an ally wouldn't he have tried to save…."

Seeing the realization dawning on his most experienced student's face Kakashi nodded and said, "He saved Zabuza by making it appear that he had killed him. I should have picked up on it instantly when I saw the senbon in the neck."

"What does that have to do with it?" Sakura asked.

"Senbon are only slightly thicker than the needles used by acupuncturists. It's a difficult skill, but some shinobi can use them to hit pressure points on the body that can disable or kill an opponent," Naruto suddenly explained, recalling a lesson taught to him by his hijiji. "They can even be used to hit points that will simulate a kill."

"Let's go after them," Sasuke said, not liking the idea of being tricked.

"No, we have wounded to take care of and they are our primary mission and concern right now," Kakashi countered as he lead the three genin over to where Hinata and surprisingly Tazuna were kneeling near the other members of Team 8.

"Hatake-san, I…," the young Hyuuga began, tears falling down her cheeks as she looked up at the jounin. "Please…I. They can't die, they can't. Please…."

"I know," the jounin replied as he knelt down to look over the injuries.

Kurenai was in bad shape, the bandages that had been applied to her cuts seemed to have stopped some of the bleeding but small smears of blood were beginning to soak through in areas that were covered by her clothes. The senior Konoha kunoichi's upper left arm near her shoulder was becoming the disgusting purple of sever bruising. Her breathing was ragged and a wet sound emanated from her every time she weakly exhaled. Kiba and Akamaru both had several deep cuts over their bodies from the clawed gauntlets of the Demon Brothers, the bleeding wasn't too bad but the way the two were sweating profusely did not bode well. Shino, his coat sliced open in several places as blood oozed out was unconscious and actually looked the best of all the unconscious members of Team 8.

"They can't die, please, they can't die. Don't le them die," Hinata repeated over and over again, tears streaming from her eyes as she began to hyperventilate.

"Hinata!" Naruto said loudly moving over to grab the girl's right arm, trying to break the normally shy girl out of her panic attack.

"No, no! They're going to die! I can't let hem die! I can't be a failure!" the pale eyed kunoichi shrieked trying to break Naruto's grip.

Growing even more worried as Hinata was being overcome by panic Naruto spun the girl so he could stare into her tear filled eyes. However, before the whiskered blond could say anything else the young Hyuuga's eyes rolled back into her head as her body went limp. Seeing Hinata suddenly go unconscious Naruto's eyes widened in worry and then widened even further in confusion as he saw Sakura standing behind the now unconscious Hyuuga girl. The pink haired kunoichi of Team 7 had her left hand held in the form used to deliver a perfect chop and it was easy for Naruto to surmise that she had been the cause for Hinata's sudden trip into unconsciousness.

"Sakura? What the hell?!" the Shugorei heir yelled.

"She wasn't calming down," Sakura replied coldly, a tone that wasn't lost on the other members of Team 7.

"So you decided to knock her out?!" the whiskered blond snarled, his eyes narrowing.

"It solved the problem," the young Haruno girl replied.

Growling Naruto was about to yell but an outstretched hand by Kakashi stopped him.

"This is neither the time nor the place," the grey haired jounin barked, shifting a single eyed glare between the young ninja and kunoichi. "Naruto, we need to move them carefully. Sakura…you and I are going to talk later."

Hearing the order Naruto formed a familiar cross shaped seal, summoning twelve Kage Bunshin into existence. Glaring silent daggers as Sakura, the boy barely seemed to notice as four of his clones suddenly used Henge to transform into stretchers placed between two clones each.

"We need to get out of here," Kakashi said quickly as the injured and unconscious members of Team 8 were gently placed onto the stretchers. "They can't be treated out here in the open and this position is too vulnerable."

"My home is not far," Tazuna suddenly spoke up, having hidden for most of the battle and only having come out when it had gotten quiet. "We can be there quickly if we hurry."

Staring at the old bridge builder Kakashi felt his hands clench. Team 8 had been put into danger, were still fighting for their lives even now, because of this man's lie. The desire to kill him for it was very tempting, almost justified, but right now the group of Konoha-nin was far from home and short on allies. Naruto seemed to share the sentiment for a moment as he shot a glare at the old bridge builder before shifting his gaze to the forms of Team 8. Catching the way the blond boy's eyes seemed to soften and grow concerned for a moment, Kakashi nodded towards Tazuna.

"Alright, lead the way," the Copy-nin agreed.

"Sensei!" Sakura began to protest only to be silenced by a quick glare from her teacher.

Focusing back on the task at hand Kakashi ordered quickly, "Naruto take point, we can't afford an ambush so stay sharp. Sakura, stay close to the stretchers. If any changes occur while we're moving let me know immediately. Sasuke, I want you to guard our flank; I don't want anyone sneaking up on us. Tazuna you're with me. I want you to explain everything that you so conveniently left out of your mission request."

The Naruto clones picking up the stretchers bearing the wounded members of Team 8 the rest of the Konoha-nin moved to carryout the orders issued to them. Beginning their march to Tazuna's home Kakashi knew that right now time was of the essence. Hearing the beginning of Tazuna's explanation the Copy-nin let out a string of silent curses when the name Gato came up.

* * *

In the cover of the thick woods well away from where the small battle had just occurred Haku gently set the body of Momochi Zabuza on the ground next to where he had placed Kubikiri Houcho. Pulling a sleeve of different medical tools out from the inside of the battle kimono he wore the fake hunter-nin prepared to remove the senbon he had lodged in his master's neck.

"_I already removed the kunai that hit him," _Haku thought as he took a pair of crude scissors in hand. _"Next I'll remove the bandages around his mouth and drain the blood out so he doesn't…."_

His left hand shooting up to stop the boy Zabuza used his right hand to pull down the cloth bandages that obscured the lower part of his face.

"You shouldn't be forcing your movements, having just come out of the fake death I put you in," the young ninja admonished as the hand released him slowly. "Let me work and I'll…."

Giving a grunt Momochi Zabuza sat up and pulled the senbon needles out from either side of his neck, a small spurt of blood accompanying the quick and reckless removal.

"Being so careless with the needles like that could really kill you," Haku calmly noted as the two bloody needles were tossed onto the ground.

"Damn you are annoying sometimes," Zabuza remarked in annoyance before spitting out some blood and then pulling his bandages back into place over his mouth. "Wearing that stupid mask again, take it off."

"But it brings back such fond memories, not to mention it was useful just a few moments ago," the boy remarked as his hand moved up to carefully remove the light mask. "If I hadn't stepped in like that you would have definitely been killed Zabuza-sama."

Pulling away the small bit of concealment revealed Haku's flawless face. Light, chocolate brown eyes matched the long stands of dark hair that framed the smooth skin of his face. Most people upon seeing the face and hearing the soft voice that belonged to it would have thought that they were looking at a beautiful young woman, however they would have been mistaken. While he was indeed beautiful Haku would grow particularly annoyed when certain misconceptions about him occurred. The young, teenage boy couldn't understand why people thought him odd when he enjoyed looking pretty and dressing in nice kimonos and yukatas. Such clothing was comfortable and useful for concealing the senbon he so loved to use, not too mention they came in such lovely colors much to the pure delight of the boy.

"Hitting the points in my neck, you know how much that hurts," the former jounin said showing his irritation. "If you weren't such a useful tool I'd have cleaved you in half a long time ago."

Giving a light laugh, almost a giggle, Haku seemed to blush a little as he responded, "But there's less muscle in the neck and as such a better chance of success. Besides, needlessly damaging the body you've honed to perfection would make me feel terrible."

Trying to stand Zabuza faltered and sat back down cursing.

"It'll be at least a week before you're back to top condition," Haku noted as he looked at his master. "But that won't stop you from preparing to face our opponents again, right?"

Looking over at the boy who was his loyal servant Zabuza responded, "That's what I like about you, so clever. Combine that with your bloodline and your natural skill and you are a near perfect tool, Haku."

Shifting his gaze to the ground Haku knew that while it sounded like a compliment what had been said was actually a reprimand. Despite serving Momochi Zabuza well for a number of years the boy had not been able to force himself to take a life, even in the name of the man who had saved him and given him purpose. Breaking from his thoughts Haku looked up to see the twin forms of the Demon Brothers appear from the fading mists that weaved about the area.

"Ah, so there you are Zabuza-sama," Gouzu began as Meizu finished, "We were beginning to worry, especially with one so tainted taking care of you."

Haku felt something inside him twist in a dull ache at the simple description often applied to those like him by anyone from the Country of Water. His bloodline made him incredibly useful and he knew he was a tool for Zabuza to use as he saw fit, but certain realities still held true. As Gouzu and Meizu were so apt to remind him, Haku was tainted by his genetic gifts. It was the predominant mindset of those who had been on the winning side of the civil war that had ravaged the Country of Water just about a decade ago. While Zabuza had never made such comments he had never contradicted them. A small part of Haku wondered if the man he so idolized also despised him, deep down, because of what he was. However, that part was quickly silenced as the boy reminded himself that he was Zabuza-sama's most useful tool and that was all he needed to worry about.

"Haku did his job," the missing-nin leader noted, almost sounding as if he was praising the boy. "I can not say the same for the two of you."

Dropping down to prostrate themselves before their leader the two Demon Brothers began to mutter apologies in their usual way of finishing each other's sentences.

"Forgive us Zabuza-sama, but…," Gouzu began with Meizu finishing, "We did strike down those two boys and that runt of a dog."

"And you think that makes you worthy!" the former member of the Seven Swordsmen raged. "You seemed to be losing to those other two genin when last I saw!"

"They were far more skilled," Gouzu said, trying to appease the former jounin.

Joining his brother Meizu continued, "Those other two are already dieing."

Haku knew exactly what Meizu meant. Like him the two brothers liked to dabble into aspects of the medical arts. However, where he was concerned primarily with keeping Zabuza alive and improving his ability to easily disable opponents with his senbon Haku knew that Gouzu and Meizu only studied to better understand the many deadly poisons that they loved so much.

"Considering what we saw of the jounin kunoichi that you battled," the two said in unison. "She looked to be barely alive when the Copy-nin arrived. Even if she still lives her injuries will surely have her joining her two students soon."

Giving a slow nod from where he sat Momochi Zabuza's eyebrows seemed to knit together in thought for several moments.

"That blond brat who stopped me from getting the Hyuuga girl…Haku, what did you think of him?" the former jounin asked suddenly.

A little surprised by the question, expecting to be asked about the appearance of Hatake Kakashi on the scene, Haku hesitated for a moment before responding, "He was odd, Zabuza-sama. He almost appeared before even Hatake did, but afterwards he deferred to the man. Seeing that and the fact that he wore a Konoha forehead protector I assume he is one of the Copy-nin's genin, one specifically trained for speed and tracking."

"Most likely, but that wasn't what I meant," the shirtless man said, his voice cold as it passed through the cloth bandages covering his mouth. "The katar like blades he wielded appeared and disappeared into the gauntlets he wore. It was if they melted into and then formed from the metal itself, but it was unlike any seal based weapon I've ever encountered."

Knowing that Kirigakure was known for producing almost every type of weapon imaginable, especially those that used blades, Haku knew that it was exceptionally rare to encounter a weapon that Zabuza had not seen or heard of at some point. It had been a point of pride for the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure to know the names and descriptions of every type of weapon they could possibly encounter and that pride was something that Zabuza still held onto.

Before the boy could say anything Zabuza continued to speak saying, "Not only was his weapon unfamiliar but the techniques that he used were disturbing."

"He used Kage Bunshin and some form of Shunshin I believe," Haku noted carefully. "Other than that I didn't see anything that would…."

"The brat fired two attacks at me, one of which cooked my left ear!" leader of the former Kiri-nin said angrily, pointing to the slightly singed flesh on the left side of his head. "While I'm pissed that he was even able to touch me that is not the point. When he shot those techniques at me he formed a single, one-handed seal for each."

Hearing those words Haku noticed both Gozu and Meizu begin to mutter as he narrowed his eyes. To use a single seal for a technique meant one had practiced it to the point where the body was able to remember it and cut out the need for a long seal string to guide and mold the necessary chakra. However, to use one-handed seals was something else altogether. Elite shinobi could pull it off if given enough practice and Haku himself could do so given his use of his bloodline techniques. What was truly disturbing though was the fact that Zabuza had just told them that the boy had been able to deliver two dangerous techniques efficiently utilizing a _single_ one-handed seal for each.

"He must be carrying a truly amazing Advanced Bloodline Limit in order to do so," Haku reasoned. "You always told me that Konoha always favored and made excellent use of their Advanced Bloodline clans."

Cursing lightly both Gouzu and Meizu put in, "Fools, just more trash to…."

"If the brat is what I think he is then calling him trash and underestimating him is a mistake," Zabuza interrupted. "When we return to the hideout, Haku, I want you to bring me all of the scrolls detailing the information we have on Konoha and its clans. You and I have some research and planning to do if I'm right."

"Hai," the boy responded. "Are we also to plan on how to deal with the Sharingan carried by Copy-nin Kakashi?"

Zabuza glowered as he was reminded of the defeat he had just experienced at the hands of one of the few shinobi he would actually give the respect of addressing as one of his peers.

"_That damnable eye! I don't know how, but it was as if he could read my mind when he was copying my movements and jutsu," _the leader of the small group thought angrily. _"And then there was that odd sight of me standing behind him as I faced him and made my seals!"_

"Yes, by the time we are ready to attack again I shall be able to deal with the Copy-nin and his fucking eye," growled the Devil of the Mist. "He made a mistake in coming to the rescue and costing me my prizes, but it is only a temporary setback."

Turning to look out upon the waters surrounding the Country of Wave, the mists having fully cleared, Haku thought of the plan that his master had formulated. They had already made quite the haul with doing Gato's dirty work and protecting the secrets of his operations here in Wave. Collecting on the bridge builder would put hem ever closer to realizing Momochi Zabuza's dream of one day ruling the Hidden Mist.

"Of course Zabuza-sama," Haku replied demurely.

Catching the sudden drop in his tool's voice Zabuza's eyes narrowed as he noted, "Something is troubling you, Haku. Do not tell me you have lost faith in me."

His cheeks flushing lightly the boy quickly said, "No, no…of course not Zabuza-sama, it's just that…well I had to use Kawarimi before the battle and…."

"Oh not that damnable rabbit again!" the Devil of the Mist suddenly roared.

"Mr. Bun-bun Fuzzy-kins is not damnable!" Haku retorted, contradicting his master openly and strongly. "He's soft and fuzzy and warm and cute and…."

Hearing the odd boy list the qualities of the white rabbit that he kept as a pet Momochi Zabuza let out a despondent sigh as the two Demon Brothers snorted in disgust. Haku had few cares other than those of his master. However what cares he did have the boy defended with earnest, to the point of being downright frightening even to the Devil of the Mist.

"_Stupid rabbit, I should never have caught the damn thing for him when he was younger," _Zabuza silently bemoaned as he recalled a time long past.

"Fine," the former Mist jounin growled suddenly, interrupting his tool's little rant. "Gouzu and Meizu will look for the rabbit while…."

"No!" Haku suddenly cried. "I've seen how they look at Mr. Bun-bun Fuzzy-kins, they won't try at all and even if they do find him they'll try to eat him!"

Shifting his eyes to look at the two Demon Brothers, Zabuza caught them both looking away a little embarrassed as what they had been planning had been revealed so easily.

"See! They admit it!" Haku yelled accusingly pointing at the two chunin level missing-nin.

"We said…," Gouzu began as Meizu finished, "…no such thing."

"You didn't need to," the teenage boy said dangerously as several senbon seemed to magically appear in his hands. "I shall not allow you to hurt Mr. Bun-bun Fuzzy-kins!"

"We have no interest…," the two brothers remarked simultaneously, "…in dealing with your stupid pet!"

Listening to his subordinates argue over something as simple and stupid as a pet rabbit Momochi Zabuza closed his eyes trying to fight down the migraine that was coming from both his injuries and listening to the argument. Trying to block out the sounds the Devil of the Mist was reminded of a much younger Haku carrying a small, white bunny chasing after him as the two went out on another mission for Kirigakure.

"_Thank Kami no one ever sees these things,"_ Zabuza thought quietly. _"No one would fear me if they knew."_

* * *

Sitting behind his desk the Sandaime Hokage idly tapped his fingers on the papers of a file he had just finished reading. The contents were regarding those who were the warhawks in the Fire Daimyo's court. What the old man found caused a deep frown to form on his face as he puffed away on his pipe.

Hearing a sudden knock upon his office door the Hokage barked out, "Enter!"

Looking over the Sandaime's narrowed eyes widened and softened as he saw who was entering. Rising to his feet and inclining his head slightly the leader of Konohagakure moved to show the proper respect to the wife of the Fire Daimyo.

"No need for such formalities my old friend," Madam Shijimi said softly as she walked over to comfortable chair that was off to the side of the Hokage's desk.

Smiling slightly in response Sarutobi quickly noted that the somewhat plump woman was not carrying her precious Tora-chan. Giving a chuckle as the door was closed by one of the ANBU guards stationed outside the Hokage knew that one lucky genin team was going to be chasing down the missing feline soon.

"To what do I owe the privilege of your presence my lady," the old Hokage began happily before noting the serious look that Madam Shijimi was sporting now that the room was secure.

"This is not a social call my old friend," the First Lady of the Country of Fire remarked gravely. "Considering the circumstances I thought that it best that the news come from me."

Settling into the persona that he had used for decades to lead Konohagakure the Sandaime Hokage tensed. Watching carefully the old Hokage felt a sense of dread rising deep within his very soul as Madam Shijimi pulled out a scroll with the personal seal of the Fire Daimyo. Taking the bound roll of paper that was offered to him, bypassing the seal easily, the old man began to read. Not even all the way through what was written inside the Sandaime Hokage dropped the scroll and looked down at it as if it were a poisonous creature.

"Tell me everything," Sarutobi solemnly requested, looking into the worried eyes of his guest.

* * *

**AN:** _Wow I actually got this chapter done before I expected. Thankfully, I was able to get most of my end of the semester work done quickly. I just have a few housekeeping items to take care of now. I would like to note that the thing Sakura was doing with the kunai and her hand is based upon a game that some people play when being drunk and stupid. It basically ends when the person stabs or cuts himself because of missing the space in between the fingers. As I said before, this is a game people play when really drunk and stupid, with the emphasis being on stupid. Under no circumstances should you actually try it as it always ends with someone having to go to the emergency room to get stitches or a finger reattached. On a happier note this story has finally surpassed three hundred reviews and eighty thousand hits. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to leave some commentary. I love hearing what all of you have to say and can only hope that more readers will deign to leave some feedback as well._

_**Tyrchon**_


	19. Chapter 18: Down

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 18 – Down…**_

* * *

Tsunami considered herself to be a practical woman. Certain things were beyond her control and she accepted that fact, doing what she could with what she had. She had lost her first love, the father of her child, to the sea when his ship had gone down in a violent storm. Her second love and husband, a fisherman named Kaiza, had been taken from her by Gato during the take over of the Country of Wave. Just as before Tsunami had shed her tears, tucked her most cherished memories into a place next to her heart, and then worked to raise her Inari. When her father had decided to build his bridge in order to try and break the stranglehold Gato had placed upon Wave's economy Tsunami had worried that he would be targeted by the hired thugs that Gato employed. In many ways she had tried to prepare herself for the day when her door would be broken down, the day she would be dragged out to be executed or held as a hostage against her father. However, Tsunami had never prepared herself for the day when her living room and kitchen area would be turned into an impromptu field hospital.

"Damn, he's going into convulsions!" Uzumaki/Shugorei Naruto yelled as he tried to clean the wounds of Inuzuka Kiba. "Shit, he's gonna puke!"

"Turn him on his side towards me," the Kage Bunshin of Hatake Kakashi commanded as it tried to avoid the spasms from the vomiting genin, "Sakura, jab him with another ampoule!"

"But that'll be his second!" the blond genin protested, his pink haired teammate silent.

"Just do it!" the jounin clone ordered as it placed a bowl to catch the mixture of blood, bile, and stomach acid that came out of Kiba's mouth.

Reaching over to an unfurled scroll Haruno Sakura grabbed a medical ampoule created by Usohakkenki Takara, the best poison expert Konoha had ever produced. The small, prepackaged syringe contained a single dose of amber liquid that was designed to negate the effects of a wide range of common poisons. Two or three ampoules were standard issue to all Konoha ANBU and jounin, but being a former ANBU Captain and a highly experienced shinobi Kakashi carried a dozen in a sealed scroll just in case. Already three of the syringes had been emptied.

Using her teeth to help remove the tight cap the pink haired kunoichi jabbed the now visible needle directly into Kiba's right shoulder as Naruto and one of Kakashi's Kage Bunshin held the Inuzuka still. Watching as the ampoule discharged its contents into his friend's system Naruto thought of how bad things truly were right now for the group of Konoha-nin.

Sasuke was currently fifteen yards out from where the small dock connected the stilted house to the shore. The Uchiha heir had been tasked with establishing a defensive perimeter as best he could with the aid of some of Naruto's Kage Bunshin. While the normally cool boy had seemed slightly annoyed at the implication that he would need assistance he was smart enough to recognize the situation for what it was. Zabuza and his group were still a threat and who knew if other missing-nin weren't also trying to locate Tazuna for the sizable price on the bridge builder's head.

Upstairs in one of the few unused rooms of the house Hyuuga Hinata was asleep or at least that was what Naruto liked to think of it as. The shy girl had been knocked unconscious by Sakura shortly after the battle had ended. The cold, aggressive attitude that the pink haired kunoichi had been displaying since the night Team 7's own mission went to hell was unnerving. It had actually seemed to be growing worse as time went by. Upon arrival at Tazuna's home Sakura had tried to strangle the old man when he had begun to explain to his bewildered daughter that the group setting up triage in the middle of her home were the Konoha-nin he had hired to protect them from Gato while he finished the bridge.

While Naruto could appreciate Sakura's anger, seeing as how Tazuna had been explaining things like he still expected protection, the blond Shugorei was still miffed regarding the kunoichi's action against Hinata. Thankfully it had not been up to the whiskered genin to decide things as Kakashi had stepped in to pull Sakura off of Tazuna. The jounin of Team 7 had let his displeasure, fatigue, and worry be known quickly as he began to issue orders in a deadly serious tone that none had dared question.

On what was supposed to be the dinner table for Tazuna and his family Yuuhi Kurenai laid under the care of the real Hatake Kakashi and several Naruto Kage Bunshin. The senior Konoha kunoichi was in rough shape having sustained multiple abrasions, severe bruising to her face and chest due to three broken ribs and a broken nose, a broken left collar bone, and a dislocated left shoulder. The water that had been in the woman's lungs had thankfully been coughed out for the most part, though by how raspy her breathing was one could not discount the chance that some still remained. Hypothermia was a slight concern, but already her soaked clothing had been removed. Sakura had thrown a fit when Kakashi and two Naruto clones had begun cutting open the dress and chest bindings that Kurenai favored wearing.

"_Modesty matters little in a life and death situation," _Naruto thought, recalling the words his jounin-sensei had used to silence Sakura's protests.

Kneeling on several towels that had been laid out to keep Kiba insulated form the kitchen floor Naruto looked over the young Inuzuka. Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino had all sustained similar wounds. The three had multiple lacerations on their bodies, but those were only a secondary concern. Using pieces of cloth Naruto and Sakura dabbed carefully to remove the blackish puss that wept from the Inuzuka's wounds. The puss, the profuse sweating, and the pale, clammy skin all spoke of poisoning and the clones Kakashi had provided to assist Naruto's own clones had confirmed it. The jounin had numerous antivenins and poison cures sealed into scrolls but unfortunately the leader of Team 7 lacked both the proper facility and the proper training to identify whatever toxin the Demon Brothers had coated their claws and chain with. The best that could be done under the circumstances was to apply the general poison curative that Usohakkenki Takara had developed, but even that carried risks.

The human body could only take so much of any foreign substance before it took drastic consequences. Kakashi had cautioned that at the most only three dosages of the cure could be given to a person within a period of twenty-four hours, any more than that and there was a considerable risk of inducing anaphylactic shock. Kiba had just received his second dose while both Shino and Akamaru had only received one a piece. Though Kakashi had told them to do so Naruto was concerned about injecting his friends, medicine and its use was determined by factors like body weight and past medical history.

"_Hell, Akamaru's a dog and we gave him a full dose!"_ Naruto thought worriedly as he applied another bandage. _"How is that going to affect…?"_

Naruto's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by twin audible 'pops' before suddenly a stream of information pushed into his mind. Twisting his head quickly Naruto looked over to where Shino was lying. The coat the Aburame boy usually wore had already been removed, but the bandage that was to be placed upon the boy was lying on the floor unattended….

"Shit!" Naruto cursed seeing that both the Kage Bunshin he and Kakashi had created to work on the stoic Aburame had been destroyed. "Sensei, the Kikaichu…!"

"I know," Kakashi remarked quickly as he looked over to the dark, swirling cloud hovering over Shino. "Don't worry, that's a good sign,"

"What happened?" Sakura suddenly asked looking up from where she had finished bandaging Kiba's left arm.

"Shino's bugs just ate the chakra in both my and sensei's clones," Naruto explained. "How that is good I don't…?"

"An Aburame's Kikaichu do everything they can to protect and preserve their hive," the grey haired jounin explained as he realigned Kurenai's broken nose, getting a dull whimpering moan from the unconscious kunoichi. "Right now they are the best indicator that Shino is going to pull through. Eating our clones shows that they are seeking sources of chakra to supplement his and help them repair his injuries. Send a clone over to check their progress."

Hearing the command Naruto made a single clone to replace the two that had been working on the young Aburame. Sliding over to examine the unconscious boy the clone's eyes seemed to widen for a moment just before a small group of Kikaichu latched onto its face. Releasing with a 'pop' and puff of smoke the memories of the clone transmitted back to its creator.

Shaking his head lightly to deal with the shock the clone had experienced before being eaten Naruto reported in mild wonder, "Those bugs are crawling in and out of the lacerations on his chest. Some sort of…wax or something looks to be filling the wounds in."

"Good, seems the Kikaichu are doing much of our work for us," Kakashi remarked as he applied several pieces of sticky medical tape to Kurenai's realigned nose. "If they weren't filling in his wounds I'd be worried. Kikaichu do all they can to protect their hive but if they sense that it can't be saved they'll forego repairs and simply evacuate. Those bugs are…."

"Aieee! Bugs in my kitchen!" Tsunami suddenly screamed from the stairway, dropping the small box of medical supplies she kept upstairs and interrupting Kakashi. "Get them out! Out! Out! OUT!"

Seeing Sakura suddenly get a dangerous look in her eye as Tsunami tried to grab a broom from a nearby closet Naruto jumped up. Sakura had already knocked Hinata out when the normally timid girl had begun to panic. There was no telling what the pink haired kunoichi might do if Tsunami decided to start swinging that broom around.

"Tsunami-san…Tsunami-san!" Naruto tried to reason as he grabbed the broom from the woman and pointed her back towards the stairs. "They're part of my teammate and won't be…."

"No! They're bugs! In my kitchen!" the dark haired woman screamed, trying to wrestle the broom out of Naruto's grip.

"Please Tsunami-san, we're trying to work here," the blond boy tried to explain as he felt a quick slap to his cheek as Tsunami continued to freak out.

"Listen here bitch!" Sakura suddenly yelled as she stormed over and pushed Tsunami over onto her ass. "Those bugs, like us, are working to save our injured teammates. Teammates that are now fighting for their very lives because your fucktard of a father lied and led them into goddamn trap! Right now kindness towards him and you isn't high on the list, so if you don't shut up and let us do our job I'll…!"

"Sakura! Let Naruto handle it and get back to work!" Kakashi sternly commanded.

Giving a final glance down at the cowering woman Sakura gave snort of disgust before turning on her heel and stalking back to pick up the bandage she had dropped on the floor. Looking over to his teammate Naruto watched as the girl began to carefully continue to bind Kiba's wounds. Shifting his gaze over to where Kakashi was working Naruto saw that the jounin hadn't even bothered to look up from the delicate procedure of taking care of Kurenai's broken collar bone.

Turning back to Tsunami and reaching down to help her back to her feet the Shugorei heir spoke gently, "I'm sorry Tsunami-san, but I need you to go back upstairs. I give you my word that…."

"Iie," the dark haired daughter of Tazuna interrupted as she turned and began to walk up the stairs. "Your teammate's right, it should be us who apologize. If my father hadn't…."

Hearing the woman trail off quietly as she made her way to the second floor Naruto let out a tired sigh.

"What a goddamn fucking mess," the cerulean eyed genin breathed out lightly as he moved to continue trying to patch up the members of Team 8.

Knowing that things were already bad the blond shared a quick glance with his sensei, Kakashi looking up for a moment to confirm the resolution of the situation. No words needed to be said as the Shugorei heir could read it in the grey haired jounin's single eye. Though both Konoha-nin did not agree with the idea of fate and predestination neither wanted to chance tipping the karmic balance of the universe by wondering how things could possibly get worse. The group of Konoha-nin was already in dire enough straits all things considered, why bother inviting down anything else at this point.

* * *

The chamber of the Konoha Village Council was abuzz with noise and activity as members pushed their way around each other to try and take their seats. As the noon day sun shown down outside the members would normally have been taking a well deserved break from their other duties to enjoy lunch as the scheduled meeting of the entire Council was still a few days away. However, plans had been interrupted when runners from the ANBU had arrived at various meetings, homes, training fields, offices, and workplaces with the message that an emergency session of the Council was being called by the Sandaime Hokage.

"Quite rare for a session like this to be called right out of the blue," Usohakkenki Takara noted as she took her seat in the third tier. "I wonder what all the fuss is about."

"Like you don't already know," Bunji remarked in annoyance, never being one for the stuffy meetings of the Council. "You're the Captain of the Counterintelligence and Clandestine Affairs Division. Even before that you were one of the nosiest persons I knew. If you don't at least have an idea of what's going on then we must be in a real fix."

Letting out polite giggle the sixty-one year old kunoichi and ANBU captain twirled her long, grey pony tail in between her fingers, replying, "Oh you know me so well. However, even I am not all seeing and all knowing."

Rolling his eyes at the normal, playful antics of his old genin teammate Bunji let out a dull grunt. The one eyed ANBU Captain was not in a good mood. Having been overseeing explosives and demolitions training the gruff man had been enjoying what he considered one of the few good things about his job. After all it wasn't everyday one got to see young ANBU trainees trying desperately not to get a face full of neon colored paint from dummy tags and practice bombs when they made a mistake.

"So what's your best guess?" the Captain of the Training Division asked quietly.

"Hmm, well something is up with the representatives of the vassal lords," Takara slowly said, indicating the group of officials that were taking seats in the second tier. "While they all seemed to be annoyed at being called here for the emergency session I'm picking up other, more subtle feelings from them. Some of them have an air triumph around them, something more than their usual air of superiority and snobbishness. I'd have to guess this has to deal with something from the Daimyo's court. Could be that they're lords and ladies are being allowed to collect more taxes or maybe it's just that the Daimyo has finally arranged a marriage for his daughter."

"Which daughter?" Bunji remarked, knowing well that the Daimyo had three daughters.

"Hopefully the one that is always appearing in our intelligence reports," Nekoirazu Kenshin answered in annoyance as he took a seat on the other side of Takara, picking some lint from the blue velvet suit he had taken to wearing over the past few days. "Ryoko-hime needs to be properly settled, she and that band of ruffians she keeps are something this country could do without."

"That sounds awfully sexist of you Baka-deshi, I thought you were less prejudicial," Takara remarked with the hint of a smile as her former apprentice and lieutenant took his seat as the Captain of the Internal Affairs Division. "Thinking that a woman needs to disciplined and kept in check by her husband…tsk, tsk…I weep for the poor girl that finally catches your attention for more than a night or two."

"For your information plenty of girls have held my interest for more than a night or two. This one girl held it for an entire month…though that was because she could do this thing with her tongue that was just…oh and she just loved it when I broke out the…," Kenshin replied with a grin, knowing how to play the game of words his former mentor enjoyed so much.

"Ahem, getting back to our original conversation," Bunji said tapping at the piece of black leather that covered his missing right eye.

"But I like those stories," Mitarashi Anko whined as she flopped down into the seat on the other side of Bunji. "They give me such great ideas for me and Iruka-kun to one day try."

Hearing the voice of the young Captain of the Assassination and Sabotage Division caused Bunji to let out a tired sigh. In truth the one eyed man had nothing against Anko; it was hardly her fault that she had been used so callously and had her psyche shattered at a young age by Orochimaru. However, being a man of certain…principles, Bunji hardly enjoyed listening to some of the fantasies the kunoichi imagined of her so-called Iruka-kun. The gruff Captain, having met Umino Iruka, felt a bit sorry for the pursued man. Takara and Kenshin, however, did not share the same sentiments and seemed to actively encourage their fellow Captain's pursuit.

"Oh loosen up Bunji, you were so much more fun back when we were kids," Takara stated pleasantly. "I still remember during that one mission to Bird Country, you had that little tryst with the daughter of the…."

A low growl emanating from Bunji's throat ended Takara's recollection of one of the few youthfully foolish moments the one eyed Captain had enjoyed decades ago. Despite the unspoken warning to let the matter drop Kenshin and Anko seemed to perk up at the mention of the elder Captain's history. However, before the oddly dressed man or equally eccentric kunoichi could ask for details the banging of a gavel brought the Captains' attention to the front of the chambers.

"This emergency session is hereby called to order," Mitokado Homura commanded, staring past his glasses at those present in a silent challenge. "We shall now call the role and…."

Ignoring the droning voice of the one of the elder Council members Bunji instead had his single amber eye fixed upon the person who sat to the left of the Hokage, in the ornate pulpit reserved for the Fire Daimyo and his family.

"Madam Shijimi is here," the Captain of the Training Division noted quietly more for his own sake then for anyone else's, though Takara gave small grunt of acknowledgement as she fiddled with the end of her braided pony tail and watched through narrowed eyes. "I don't ever recall her making a habit of sitting in on council meetings before."

"She almost never does," Kenshin whispered his playful tone from earlier gone and replaced by a cold business like exterior. "The last time she sat in on one was following the massacre of the Uchiha. Prior to that she hadn't appeared for a session since the business we had with Kumo regarding the incident with Clan Hyuuga. Prior to that…well the Kyuubi and the ending of the last major war aren't benchmarks I'd personally like to be measured against."

The implication was clear. The wife of the Fire Daimyo was a known socialite. Konoha, while a shinobi village, did hold a number of festivals and parties during the course of the year, all of which had to receive final rubber stamping by the Council. However, Madam Shijimi had never sat in on one of those sessions. The wife of the Fire Daimyo seemed to only have bothered to sit in on sessions that had occurred during major turning points for the village.

"And so the Storm-Crow came down from the realm of the Great Spirit. With each beat of Its wings thunder tore across the sky and lightning struck the Earth. All that was trembled before It," Bunji breathed out in a barely audible voice, recalling his educational years at the hands of a history Clan Shugorei.

"Hmm," Kenshin and Takara both hummed questioningly as Anko raised an eyebrow and threw a sidelong glance at the elder shinobi.

"An old legend from part of the Southern Continent regarding the creation of the world…or its destruction depending on your point of view," the single eyed Captain of the Training Division supplied.

"I guess we're ruling out the idea of a royal wedding then," Takara picking up her old friend's meaning.

Grunts of concurrence were the responses made by the ANBU Captains as the role continued to be called around them. Sitting silently for the remainder of the call, only speaking up when it was their time for the presence to be acknowledged and recorded, the four Captains easily picked up on the mood created by their fellow Council members. It seemed they weren't the only ones to note the presence of the Fire Daimyo's wife and its implications. Speculation was cut short, however, as the Hokage stood up as the role call finished.

"Last night the Fire Daimyo called for a meeting with his most senior advisors," the Hokage began in a strong voice that barely hinted at how tired and disappointed he felt. "In the face of a clear majority vote by his inner most circle the Daimyo made the decision that the Country of Fire will annex the Country of Wave."

As the words left this mouth Sarutobi felt sick, bile rising in the back of his throat. All of his efforts to maintain the peace now seemed to have been in vain. The peace that had been established by the great powers of the Elemental Countries was now poised to be shattered by this single decree. Finishing speaking the Sandaime watched as the chambers of Konoha's Council erupted into a multitude of voices and opinions.

Looking to his fellow ANBU Captains Bunji read in their faces, or body posture seeing as Tenzo was wearing his tiger mask as usual, the same thing that was reflected in his. They, six of the most elite shinobi in the entire village, had just been caught as flat footed and ill informed as everyone else. Sure there had been rumors, but there were always rumors. None of them had expected anything like this to actually happen with such little warning.

"Order, Order!" Homura demanded, banging his gavel repeatedly.

"Hokage-sama," Danzou spoke, rising to his feet as his strong voice did more to silence the room than Homura's gavel. "I most likely speak for many here when I ask if you would please inform us as to why such a decision was made."

Looking down at his one time rival for the position of Hokage, Sarutobi thought he picked up the hint of a smile on the scarred and disfigured man's face.

"Of course," the Sandaime spoke, pushing down the feeling that the former leader of 'Ne' already knew the reasons. "According to the Daimyo's directive this course of action is in direct response to the actions and inactions taken by the Country of Wave over the past year. These are outlined thusly. First, the Country of Wave has closed its borders and expelled any and all diplomats sent by not only the Country of Fire but by other nations as well. Second, the Country of Wave has taken little to no action to in curtailing the actions of pirates and bandits that are sheltered within its borders and prey upon the citizenry and livelihood of the Country of Fire. Third, forces flying the colors of and officially representing the Country of Wave have over the past year repeatedly harassed vessels flying the colors of and based out of the Country of Fire. This has gone so far as the denial of 'The Freedom of the Seas' as established by previously agreed upon treaty binding the entirety of the Elemental Countries and the illegal impressments of sailors who are citizens Country of Fire. Fourth, disguised soldiers of the Country of Wave and groups of mercenaries and missing-nins hired by Wave have committed acts of terrorism against the Country of Fire in what appears to be preparation for a future invasion by forces from Wave. This has culminated in the assassination of Treasury Minister Matsuda and the destruction that occurred a few days ago in our eastern port city as a team of shinobi from Konohagakure were attacked and nearly killed when on a routine assistance and inspection mission.

At the mention of an attack upon a Konoha team the chamber erupted with shouts. Hearing the listing of reasons Bunji knew that many were the usual bullshit that every country gave in order to justify its actions and take the moral high ground so as not to appear as the proverbial bad guy. However, hearing that a Konoha team had been attacked was alarming. Turning his head to look to his right the single eyed Captain shared a glance with his old genin teammate.

"I was under the impression that we only just received a preliminary report this morning from Kakashi regarding his team's mission to the port city," Bunji whispered, looking to Takara for confirmation.

"We did, he used one of our more difficult encryptions. Our code-breakers finished decoding it an hour ago," Takara remarked quietly, playing with the tip of her pony tail as Kenshin looked over towards the hushed conversation of his fellow Captains. "I had only just begun to read it when I was called here."

"It's as the Hokage just said," Kenshin interjected in a voice that was just loud enough for Bunji to barely pick up. "I was finishing reading Kakashi-sempai's report when the runner reached my office. His team came under attack by several unknown missing-nin. They killed two, but not before the missing-nin blew up several buildings and killed a number of the port's constabulary."

Hearing the quick synopsis Bunji clenched his fists, asking quietly, "What about his team? Kakashi was leading three genin, not a squad of ANBU."

"I don't know," the Captain of Internal Affairs responded. "It was only a preliminary report and only included basic details."

"That's not our main concern," Takara interjected in a hushed voice, catching the slight look of confusion on Bunji's face. "Our greater concern is how exactly the Daimyo got a report detailing events in the port, of which Kakashi and his team were a part of, so quickly. We only got a report this morning with the confirmation that he and his team left last night to intercept Team 8. However, it seems the Daimyo or someone in his court was able to get that information as well."

"Kakashi wouldn't have sent a copy to the Daimyo, he's too loyal to Hokage-sama and Konoha," Anko suddenly interjected knowing that it was up to the Hokage to determine which reports were copied and forwarded to the Fire Lord. "I'd say it is more likely that…."

"Hokage-sama! I demand answers!" Haruno Kisuke, the old head of the Haruno merchant family, shouted causing all attention to be drawn to him. "I received a message just before this meeting from my grandson. Buntaro oversees the Haruno business in the eastern port, but his message was not about that. Do you know what it was about? It was about how my granddaughter and her team were almost killed a few days ago and how they…!"

"Please Haruno-san," the Hokage said, trying to calm down the irate man. "Discussion of your granddaughter and her team can wait for…."

"I will not wait and I will not be silent!" the old yet strong Haruno shouted, his face turning red and his bald head showing a few throbbing veins. "The news from Buntaro was disturbing and now you tell us that it has become cause for war! This is unacceptable!"

The words of his strong voice echoing across the chamber a number of other Council members began to shout in support for the Haruno elder.

"Please, everyone, please!" the Hokage spoke, trying to clam everyone down as Homura banged the gavel for order.

"What about my son?!" Inuzuka Tsume suddenly demanded, Kuromaru growling next to her. "He and his genin team were just sent on a mission to Wave! You sent them into a war zone, didn't you?! Just like you sent Haruno-san's granddaughter and her team into…!"

"I assure you Inuzuka-san that I had no intention of…," the old man tried to reason with the protective mother and leader of the Inuzuka Clan.

"No," Tsume exclaimed loudly. "I demand to know where my son is! I…."

"Excuse me, but I too wish to know the condition and whereabouts of Team 8," Aburame Shibi stated, his quiet stoicism cutting off the yelling of the angered woman. "My own son is on that team. While I doubt that you knowingly sent a genin team into such a dangerous situation I am more concerned about what measures are being taken to get them out and back home."

Looking down at the stoic Aburame and the irate Inuzuka the Hokage shifted his gaze over to the final parent that had a child on the genin team. Sitting quietly Hyuuga Hiashi looked to be cut from stone. It was disturbing to think that the man was apathetic to the fact that his daughter was in danger.

"_Have you truly grown so cold Hiashi?"_ Sarutobi silently wondered as he looked at the Head of Clan Hyuuga. _"What would they think if they saw you like…?"_

"Hokage-sama? What measures are being taken regarding Team 8?" a voice asked, breaking the old leader from his thoughts.

Looking to where the voice had originated the Sandaime saw that it was his son, Asuma, who had been the one to speak.

Clearing his throat the elder Sarutobi spoke, "Two teams that were also in the area have been sent to intercept Team 8 and…."

"Which two teams?!" Tsume demanded with a growl.

"I can't say at this time due to operational security," the old man replied carefully.

"You can't or you won't?" Yamanaka Inoichi asked, rising up from his seat to address the Hokage.

Before the old Hokage could reply Haruno Kisuke shouted, "He has no need to say! I already know that my granddaughter and her team have been sent due to Buntaro's message!"

"You sent a team of genin, one that had already been attacked and who may not be able to fight, in as a rescue team?!" Inuzuka Tsume snarled, her voice rising as her anger grew.

"They were sent in only as secondary responders," the Sandaime tried to explain over the rising clamor. "The primary rescue is being handled by a team of ANBU that was…."

Despite his attempts to bring reason back to the forum the old Sarutobi's voice was being drowned out.

"That is enough goddamn it!" Bunji suddenly roared, silencing the room as he slammed his hands down hard enough to crack the wood of the desk before him as he stood. "Do you not hear yourselves?! You sound like a whiny bunch of children!"

"How dare you address…," Haruno Kisuke began before being silenced by a hard glare from Bunji's single amber eye.

"The Hokage is explaining the situation to you all and it is not open for debate!" the gruff ANBU Captain growled. "Now sit down, shut up, and dig the wax out of your ears!"

Seeing Bunji take his seat once again as the chamber became deathly silent Sarutobi sent a small nod of thanks to eye patch wearing man.

"At the time that Team 7 was sent to intercept Team 8 we did not yet know they had come under attack," the Sandaime explained. "However, from the report that we received earlier today from Hatake Kakashi, the jounin-sensei of that team and one of Konoha's best, we have learned that Team 7 suffered little to no injury. At the time the message was written Kakashi reported that he had every confidence in his team and their ability to intercept and return Team 8 safely within the next few days."

"This is…this is most disturbing news, Hokage-sama," Ayeka spoke up weakly as the Hokage finished, a number of Council members nodding in agreement. "I do not doubt Hatake-san's assessment, but I am concerned by the fact that two teams of genin could now possibly be caught in the middle of a war zone. You were explaining to us the Daimyo's reasoning for going to war, but nothing was said regarding the seeking of a diplomatic solution. Perhaps if a delegation were…."

"Pardon my interruption Ayeka-san," Danzou interjected, looking down at the Shugorei Steward. "I understand that you and others of this council hold concerns regarding this…well, let's not sugar coat it any longer. The Daimyo has basically made an open declaration of war upon the Country of Wave. This indeed is of great concern as it will determine policy for our beloved village. However, this is not a decision that this body can repudiate. The Fire Daimyo has made his decision and is calling upon Konoha's support. As the sovereign of our country, to which we hold allegiance, we must respond with the aid of all the force we can muster. This is not up for debate as the charter of Konohagakure is quite specific regarding such matters."

Hearing the crippled elder speak and watching Ayeka take her seat without a further word of protest Bunji clenched his fists and ground his teeth in anger. Danzou was technically correct; the charter of Konohagakure was quite specific regarding certain matters. Decisions made by the Daimyo of the Country of Fire were binding for Konohagakure. The Hokage was considered to be Lord of Konoha and thus part of the Daimyo's Court with the heads of the major shinobi clans sitting as his vassal lords. Few of those clan heads held titles of nobility that placed them in the same position of being part of the Court. The most notable of the few were the Hyuuga, the Uchiha, the Senju, and of course the Shugorei. As the Shugorei Steward it was Ayeka's power and right to question the decision on the behalf of the Shugorei Lord, especially since the clan had never sworn fealty to the Fire Daimyo. The Shugorei had always considered their place in Konoha and the Country of Fire to be part of an alliance and never an act of submission. However, the fact that she had simply backed down, something she would almost never did even when she was not the representative of the Shugorei, spoke to Bunji that something was definitely wrong with his sister-in-law. Fueling his anger even more was the fact that the one eyed ANBU Captain knew that he was the cause for what had robbed Ayeka of her normal, combative spirit.

Standing up in his pulpit the Sandaime spoke while looking down at Danzou, a small smirk forming on his wrinkled face as he looked at the hawkish Elder, "You are correct in that the orders of the Daimyo are something we must obey. However, Konoha will not be deploying its forces for the annexation of the Country of Wave."

His single eye widening as his scarred face took on an incredulous look Danzou shouted, "What! How dare you ignore the Fire Lord's…."

"_Hokage-dono_ is not ignoring anything. He is following the direct orders of my husband," Madam Shijimi spoke lightly, interrupting the elder and silencing other protests as she emphasized the position and respect she had for the Sandaime. "It has been decided that Konohagakure's shinobi will not deploy at this time. Such is the will of my husband."

Despite the light tone she had spoken with Madam Shijimi's words seemed to echo throughout the chamber. Narrowing his eye as his mind began to play over possible scenarios for what he was witnessing, Bunji and his fellow ANBU Captains could almost feel the surge of confused and angry murmuring that was coming from numerous Council members. Some of the murmuring seemed due to the fact that the relative peace of the last few years was being broken. Other murmuring seemed to be due to the fact that Konoha was now being excluded from the military action that he Country of Fire was about to undertake.

"Pardon me Shijimi-heika," Hyuuga Hiashi spoke up, the many of the murmurs dieing as the head of Clan Hyuuga stood. "I am sure that many here wish to know why it is that Konoha and its shinobi are being kept from taking the field. I must confess that I as well would like to know why we are being denied to participate, it is highly irregular."

Grinning slightly as the Hiashi took his seat Anko whispered conspiratorially next to Bunji, "Could it be that old fuddy-duddy Hyuuga Hiashi is worried that we won't get our fair share of the glory and honor?"

Bunji grunted, indirectly responding to the question. The one eyed Captain knew well that many of those present would argue that having Konoha and its shinobi excluded would bring great dishonor to the village and its inhabitants. As a younger man the gruff Captain would have at one time made a similar argument, seeking to gain glory and fame for himself and his family. However, older and now well experienced in the true horrors of war, Bunji knew the truth of the fallacy that many saw as the glory and honor of war.

"Konoha is not being denied participation in the coming conflict," Madam Shijimi answered softly. "It is merely that Konoha's forces are to be deployed elsewhere."

"If I may Shijimi-heika," the Sandaime asked, earning a nod to explain the situation further.

"Due to the fact that Wave Country cut off all its ties to the outside world there is a concern regarding possible intervention on its behalf. We all know that the Country of Water has tried to aid Wave in the past in order to gain a proper foothold on the continent," the Hokage spoke knowingly, a number of the shinobi present nodding in confirmation of his words. "The Country of Water could seek to intervene militarily in this conflict. Because it can not be accurately determined who will intervene or if intervention will take place Konoha has been ordered to prepare its forces for emergency deployment. If the Country of Fire, its holdings, citizenry, or forces are attacked by outside forces it will be up to Konoha to engage them. We are being asked to forego direct participation in the actual invasion so that we may properly defend our country."

The explanation given by the Hokage caused many of the members of the Council to begin discussing the matter further. While Konoha would not be invading Wave they would act as the sword and shield for the rest of Fire Country as the army and navy were concentrated on the island nation. Should any country or group decide to intervene and strike the Country of Fire it would be met by and driven back by the shinobi of Konoha, it was to many members an adequate consolation prize for not being part of the invasion force. To other members, however, it gave little comfort and did not dissuade them from arguing that Konoha should be part of the invasion.

"I can also assure the Council that it took a great deal of posturing from the generals of the army to convince my husband not to include a sizeable detachment of Konoha-nin in the invasion force. It seems that our army and navy are somewhat jealous of the abilities and victories the shinobi of Konoha were able to accrue in the last war," Madam Shijimi remarked causing some good hearted laughter to echo from the members of the Council.

The proud samurai of the army and navy of the Country of Fire had a certain rivalry with the shinobi of Konoha. It was well known that in the last Great War and in the minor conflicts that the Country of Fire Country had been involved in over the years the regular army and navy had been shown up by the shinobi of Konoha on a number of occasions. For some of the old generals and admirals, victory had only been gained due to the intervention of Konoha's forces.

"My husband has decided to give our regular forces a chance to distinguish themselves, though they do have a time limit," the wife of the Fire Daimyo continued to explain. "Should the army and navy be unable to subdue the Country of Wave within three months' time then the task will be handed over to more capable hands. At such a time Konoha will be asked to deploy a force to oversee the annexation and assure its proper completion."

Once again a number of hearty chuckles echoed from a number of the Council's membership. While the Sandaime and his predecessors had worked diligently to encourage cooperation between Konoha's shinobi and the samurai of the army and navy the rivalry that existed between the two different forces that protected the Country of Fire still existed. The thought and chance that the proud samurai would fail and then be forced to watch their ninja rivals succeed in their place was something that few in Konoha's Council were willing to pass up.

"I believe we must all bow to the Daimyo's wisdom regarding this matter then," Utatane Koharu spoke up, signaling the close of any debate upon the issue.

Undeterred Danzou stood once again and remarked candidly, "Indeed, though perhaps Shijimi-heika would permit us to send a small group of shinobi to oversee and supply reports to…."

"We thank you for your concern Danzou-san, but the deployment of such a group at this time would run against the wishes of the commander of the invasion force," Madam Shijimi replied politely, though her face seemed to fall slightly as she spoke.

"If I may ask, Shijimi-heika," Nara Shikaku said, rising up from his seat. "Who exactly is the commander in charge of the invasion?"

Sharing a quiet glance with the wife of the Fire Daimyo the Hokage answered, "The commander is none other than the eldest daughter of Shijimi-heika. Crown Princess Ryoko is already on the march towards the Country of Wave with her personal regiment as the vanguard."

At the mention of the eldest daughter of the Fire Daimyo and his wife the chambers of the Konoha Council once again erupted with murmurs. Looking over to where both Kenshin and Takara were sitting Bunji spied his both of his fellow ANBU Captains cursing, though Kenshin was doing it loudly while pulling at his dyed white hair. The single eyed Captain of the Training Division couldn't help but agree with the reason for their quiet cursing.

The Benihime of the Country of Fire was once again on the warpath. If the past was anything to go by then Wave would be quite the bloody affair.

* * *

Over a dozen miles away from where the strait between the Country of Wave and the Country of Fire was narrowest the crimson banner of Crown Princess Ryoko flapped in the cool night air. Breathing in the slightly salty air that indicated just how close they were to the coast the soldiers of the regiment relaxed from the hard day's march to reach what their commander, their princess, had designated as the mustering point for what would be the invasion of the Country of Wave. Gathered around their campfires, the orangey sun setting behind the hills to the west, the amalgam of soldiers regaled each other with tales of the Benihime's greatness in battle.

The Benihime, the Crimson Princess, one could make an argument that Crown Princess Ryoko was known better by her nickname than by her actual royal titles. Being the second born child and eldest daughter of the Daimyo of the Country of Fire the twenty year old princess was considered to be a terror to her enemies and allies alike. Following in the martial footsteps of her father and samurai ancestors the princess, even at a young age, had chosen to play with wooden swords over the stuffed animals and pretty dolls that most girls would enjoy. Regarded as something of a tomboy, numerous attempts had been made by Ryoko's mother, aunts, and maids to refine the rambunctious girl into the model of a proper princess. Such efforts had failed miserably as the young princess had always been supported by her father and her older brother, Crown Prince Daisuke. Idealizing Daisuke, who was five years her senior, the Crown Princess had sought to emulate him. The culmination of the failure to make Ryoko into a model of what a noble lady should be had occurred when the princess, at the age of sixteen, had gotten her greatest wish granted. In full emulation of the samurai that her father and elder brother were the princess had joined the ranks of Crown Prince Daisuke's personal regiment as a member of the cavalry company.

"_And that's where it all truly began,"_ the seasoned veterans would tell the fresh recruits as they recounted the tale of how their regiment had shifted from being the personal guard of the Crown Prince to the being the personal guard of the Crown Princess.

Only a year and half after joining her brother's regiment the world of the royal family of the Country of Fire had been turned upside down. Deployed to the Southern Continent to enforce colonial claims the Crown Prince's Regiment had been forced to put down a rebellion by a group of dissatisfied colonists who had thought to gain independence. Showing the strategic and tactical skill that had earned him the respect and admiration of many senior military commanders Daisuke had ended the rebellion swiftly and brutally. However, despite the victory the Crown Prince had disappeared several days afterwards. The only sign of the missing heir to the throne of the Fire Country had been found in his sealed quarters. Along with his daisho, the twin swords marking him as samurai, there was only a note stating his intention to go into self-imposed exile and that no one should seek him out.

With no reason given for his sudden departure and no hint of where he had decided to disappear to the morale of the Crown Prince's soldiers had plummeted. The demoralization had not simply been limited to Daisuke's regiment but all of the forces of the Country of Fire stationed in the Southern Colonies. As word of the Crown Prince's disappearance permeated the region the rebels, thought to be gone, came back with a vengeful furry. Tearing through the demoralized forces of the Country of Fire the rebels had been backed by regular units of some of the local kingdoms of the Southern Continent. However, at the darkest hour, when it seemed that the colonies would be lost and the small army of the Country of Fire would be driven back into the sea, everything changed.

"_You listen well boy 'cause I saw it with my own eyes," _a grizzled infantry sergeant would tell the green soldiers that had just transferred into his squad.

"_There she stood, her brother's swords clutched in her hands and her armor stained crimson with the blood of that rebel scum and their barbarian allies," _one of the more experienced samurai would say as he cleaned his weapons and made sure that they had not begun to tarnish or rust in the salt air.

"_She rallied us all, screaming and cutting through the enemy. No one could touch her or do her harm as she brought us to victory," _an archer remarked as he checked his bow for any signs of cracks.

"_We'll follow her to the ends of the earth if necessary. She's our Benihime, our Crimson Princess. Bathed in the blood of the enemy and forged by the fires of combat itself. Trust me lad, we'll win this little scrape we're marching into easily so long as Ryoko-hime is with us," _every old member of the regiment would assure the new recruits as pots over cook fires began to bubble and brew.

Within the largest tent of the camp, one that had several fully armed guards stationed about, something other than food and tea was bubbling and brewing. Relaxing in a large, copper tub the Crown Princess relaxed as the dirt, dust, and sweat from the day's march was cleaned from her porcelain skin by her attending servants. Off to the side one of her servants carefully examined her dark red armor for signs of wear and tear. Modeled in the traditional samurai style the armor was light and flexible while still offering protection from sword, spear, and arrow.

Stepping out of the tub of warm water the eldest princess of the Country of Fire stood for a moment as she enjoyed the light sensation of water dripping from her body. Being twenty years of age Ryoko was what one would consider to be an epitome of athletic beauty. Sporting black, shoulder length hair that framed a perfectly formed face the princess had leveled numerous men with a single flash of her smoky grey eyes. Her body muscled in away that spoke of one who trained for the rigors of combat Ryoko stood upon a pair of lusciously long legs even though she only stood at a height of five feet six inches. Letting a soft towel wrap around her body and cover her perky breasts the Crown Princess moved to sit in a standard folding field chair as one of her servants began to carefully comb out the tangles in her hair.

"Hmm, crossing the strait will be difficult if we can't secure enough boats," Ryoko spoke softly as he stared at map that was displayed on vertical mount.

"Is that not a problem that the navy will solve Heika?" the servant asked as he gently dragged the comb through the hair of his mistress.

"One would think so, but just as we of the regular forces have a rivalry with the shinobi forces of Konoha so too does there exist a rivalry between the army and navy. Admiral Koga is commanding the naval forces and will not arrive before the end of the week," the Crown Princess noted with a frown. "When he does arrive he will be more concerned with blockading Wave and hunting down whatever paltry naval forces happen to have been scrapped together rather than playing ferryman for my troops."

Wincing as a snarl in her hair was pulled Ryoko waved off the apologies from her servant. While she was royalty and expected a certain degree of respect she did not fault her servants for simply doing their jobs. Be they male or female, common born soldier or noble born samurai the eldest Crown Princess of Fire Country didn't care. So long as they did their job and obeyed her orders without question she would leave them to fulfill their duties. However, should they step out of line…well everyone was replaceable.

"The easiest solution will be to hire the local fishermen to ferry my troops when the time comes," the Benihime commented as she began to read over one of the reconnaissance reports she had received only for her frown to deepen. "But even with such a measure it will take the better part of a day for just my own regiment to cross the strait. We've secured our muster point, but General Sado is still gathering the main force and has yet to even begin his own march from the capital. When he does arrive it will take at least five days to ferry all of the troops across and that's only if we forget about our horses and most of our provisions."

Throwing up her hands in frustration Ryoko stood abruptly and stalked across the spacious tent to a pitcher of tea that had been chilled and sweetened with lemon. Pouring out a cupful the princess began to sip at the beverage as the gears in her mind turned, processing the situation and seeking a remedy.

"I can't cross now as my forces would be at risk during an unprotected crossing. Even if we were able to get the majority of the regiment across we would be vulnerable as our supply chain could easily be severed," Ryoko surmised, recalling the infamous note a general had once made regarding the fact that an army traveled on its stomach. "If I take the main island with my regiment we could forage and wait for General Sado, but then we would tip our hand and the other islands would most likely shore up their defenses in preparation for when we attempt to cross over to them."

The Country of Wave was a tight archipelago but as Ryoko reviewed her options she concluded that it could be an entirely different continent and it would make little difference. She had taken numerous risks since she had assumed command of the regiment after her brother had disappeared.

"_Daisuke…what would you do?" _the Crimson Princess wondered before swallowing the rest of her cup of tea in one, angry gulp. _"You're off somewhere having your own fucking pity party…but that's okay. Even if you should decide to return the throne will be mine."_

Staring at something unseen, Ryoko thought of all that she had accomplished since her elder brother had decided to abandon his country and his men. It had been she who had rallied the Fire Country's forces to not only secure its colonies on the Southern Continent but extend them by conquering parts of the foolish, barbarian kingdoms that had dared to back the rebellion. She was the one now loved by much of the army and hailed as a hero by numerous citizens of _her_ country. She had been the one to rally the old warhawks in her father's Court. She was the Benihime, a name earned by her ruthlessness on the field of combat, feared by her enemies and those who foolishly clung to the mirage called peace.

"_I'll give them peace…once I have brought all the Elemental Countries to kneel before the might and power of the Country of Fire,"_ Ryoko thought proudly before a familiar presence interrupted her thoughts.

"Leave me and inform my guards that I am not to be bothered," the crown Princess commanded, waiting for her servants to exit before turning to look towards the back of the tent. "You may come out now."

As her words crossed the room the faint shadow that existed near the back of the rounded tent seemed to shift for a moment. Without a sound three forms materialized to kneel upon the rug that covered the ground where the tent had been set. These were three of her personal shinobi, answerable and loyal only to her.

"Show me," the Crown Princess commanded.

Without a word the two younger shinobi faced each other and began to run through a string of seals. Slapping their hands down onto the carpet an odd seal extended out between them before a puff of smoke suddenly erupted and covered it. Dissipating quickly the smoke revealed a long and thick wooden box. Ryoko felt a smile tug at her lips as she looked over the length of the wooden case that now sat between the teenage male and female that had turned to once again flank the slightly older kunoichi that was their teacher and guardian.

"You are to be commended. The success of your mission was just what I needed for my allies at Court to convince my father to declare the annexation of Wave," Ryoko commented as she turned and began refill her cup. "The encounter with the team from Konoha was unexpected, but it proved quite useful. Nearly everyone in the capital is convinced that terrorists and disguised soldiers from Wave we're responsible."

"Of course Hime-sama," Mao spoke in deference, keeping held tilted down.

"I get my reason to invade and conquer Wave for Fire Country, enhance my standing in the Court, and eliminate any traces of the business that was conducted with that piece of scum Gato," the Crown Princess remarked happily as she looked back to her kneeling subordinates and the piece of cargo that they had brought her. "Open it; I want to see it for myself."

Nodding Mao turned to watch as Sousuke and Kaname undid the latches keeping the heavy wooden box closed. Flipping open the top allowed the light from the candles in the tent to glint off of the brass finish of the long cylinder. There was but a single item in the box, however the three shinobi knew that a carefully hidden wagon on the perimeter of the camp held several more boxes with a similar prize in each.

"Oh, oh my…it's beautiful," Ryoko almost cooed as she walked over to kneel down next to box and run her hand over the cool, metal surface. "You recovered all twelve."

"Hai, Hime-sama," Mao answered dutifully knowing that what her mistress had said was more a statement than a question. "Gato's representative smuggled them in just as we requested, though the fool dared to pack extra drugs around them and even inside them."

"Ah yes, the drugs," the princess said, standing up to look down at her prize with affection. "You made sure to destroy them all? I may have paid handsomely to get these and then allowed that pig of a man to smuggle in his drugs, but it was never in our agreement that I would let those drugs actually be sold once they reached our shores."

"I set the charges myself," Mao supplied. "The resulting inferno destroyed everything."

"Then how is it that a Konoha genin was able to survive being caught in the explosion?" Ryoko asked, a dangerous smirk forming on her face as he adjusted the towel that hid her body.

"He…I…. Please forgive me Hime-sama!" the former kunoichi of Konoha begged, pressing her forehead to the floor in a sign of subservience.

Letting out a light peal of laughter Ryoko reached down and gently cupped the face of her subordinate. Bringing Mao's face up to look her directly in the eyes the Crown Princess smiled.

"There is nothing to forgive. The appearance of the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko was an unforeseen occurrence," the Benihime remarked easily. "Besides, that boy did me a favor by removing Niimi from my service. That pedophile may have had his uses, but he disgusted even me. Better that he died and gave a face to our scapegoat. In the Court a number of nobles who were on the fence about supporting this invasion were swayed when it was insinuated that Wave was hiring such criminals to attack our fair country."

Her chin held by her mistress Mao could nodded silently in agreement, not daring to trust her voice at this point. The touch of the princess was intoxicating and not something to be tarnished with words.

"Leave this one here for now and bring the rest to the armory, the master armorer is expecting them and has already begun to assemble the carriages for them," Ryoko commanded, releasing Mao gently while looking at the shine of her prize. "Mao, you will stay. You and I have much to discuss."

"Hai Hime-sama," the three shinobi responded in unison.

Walking over to her field chair Ryoko moved the small piece of folding furniture so that it was in a position where she could sit and admire her prize. Taking a seat and crossing her legs in one of the few lady-like traits her mother had instilled in her Ryoko looked at the brassy finish of her prize. Mao remained in her kneeling position, Sousuke and Kaname already having disappeared to fulfill their orders.

"Something bothers you Mao," the Crown Princess of the Country of Fire noted as she sipped at her cup of tea. "Tell me what seems to trouble you so."

Looking up at the princess, the woman who had given everything since fleeing Konoha, Mao spoke honestly, "Several things trouble me Hime-sama. Gato still lives and if he should be caught and interrogated he could embarrass Hime-sama."

"Gato thinks himself safe and secure in Wave. That piggish man may have charmed the Wave Daimyo, but he doesn't expect that the rug is about to be pulled out from beneath his feet," Ryoko said with a tight grin on her face as she swirled her tea. "You and the other shinobi in my service eliminated all of his associates in the Country of Fire. There is little chance that he will expect an invasion to come. However, that isn't what is truly bothering you."

Her cheeks flushing lightly at being read so easily by her princess Mao replied, "You are correct Hime-sama. I am concerned regarding the team of Konoha-nin that we encountered. As I reported it was being led by Hatake Kakashi."

"Ah yes, the infamous Copy-nin," the dark haired princess remarked, closing her eyes to bring to mind a mental picture of the man. "Too bad he is so loyal to Konoha, he would be quite the asset for me otherwise. You had a relationship with him before you fled Konoha if I recall correctly."

"Hai, but…he was able to recognize me when I attacked him on the mission," the violet eyed kunoichi said quietly. "He could cause difficulty for…."

"I think not," Ryoko commented without a trace of doubt in her voice. "Konoha is being informed of the annexation plan and they are being kept out per my designs. Even if he reports your presence and your doings when he returns home Konoha will not touch you. I take care of those who are as loyal to me as you are."

"Thank you Hime-sama, I do not deserve such…," Mao began to speak, bowing her head down only to have it brought back up to look into the smoky grey eyes of the Benihime.

"I shall decide what you deserve," Ryoko spoke with a thin, devious grin on her lips as she cupped Mao's chin. "I can feel you trembling, are you as excited as I am?"

"Ha…hai," the kunoichi responded unable to look away from the smoky grey eyes of the princess.

"Good," the Crown Princess noted as she caught the slightly older woman's lips in her own.

Deepening the kiss and taking full advantage of the daze kunoichi Ryoko let the towel that hid her body fall away. She may not be the model of a noble lady but one thing she had learned from her mother and the ladies of the court was that her beauty and her sex could be two of her greatest weapons.

"_And I know just how to use them," _the Benihime thought with a smirk as Mao became putty in her hands, not unlike the others she had seduced and used. _"Male, Female, ten thousand swords, a single dagger…it matters not, I shall use every weapon and tool I can find. In the end I shall sit not just the throne of the Country of Fire, but the throne of a new Empire."_

* * *

Across the strait in the Land of Wave confidence and enjoyment were two things not being felt by one, young kunoichi. Quietly shutting the door behind her to bathe the room in shadows once again Haruno Sakura looked down at the unconscious forms of Team 8. It had been some sort of miracle that all of the members of the genin team were still alive. The pink haired girl was tired from having worked diligently with her sensei and blond teammate up to an hour ago to clean and bind the wounds of their fellow Konoha-nin.

"_Naruto went out to relieve Sasuke of guard duty," _the young kunoichi thought, recalling the orders issued by Kakashi half an hour ago. _"How is it that he still seems to have so much energy left? I'm dead tired and all I have to do is keep an eye on everyone here."_

"_**Naruto's always had a great abundance of energy," **_an inner part of Sakura replied. _**"That's something that we've always liked about him."**_

Sakura silently nodded in agreement; ever since she was a little girl she had often had conversations with herself. Some might say that the voice was the remnant of an imaginary friend that Sakura had at one time or another created. While Sakura would admit that she had invented some playmates and given voices to some of her stuffed animals before being befriended by Ino all those years ago, this voice…this voice was different. To her it was far more real than any of those imaginary friends had ever been. It was just as real as Ino and all of the others of the group were. It was a source of comfort, of strength.

"_**Better get to checking on our patients,"**_ the inner voice of the pink haired girl remarked.

Though she wasn't sure if she should refer to them as patients, seeing as she wasn't a medic-nin or had any medical training other than the basic first aid that the Academy taught, Sakura felt a certain sense of purpose when hearing the reference. Stepping carefully across the crowded room the pink haired girl came to look at the first person left in her charge.

Aburame Shino was looking the best of the wounded members of Team 8. Like Kakashi had said, the Kikaichu of the stoic Aburame had done much to repair and save their living hive. Sakura had once, when she had still been the young tagalong girl by Ino's side, found bugs to icky and creepy. Having become part of the group of friends that Shino belonged to at the Academy Sakura had gotten over those feelings for the most part. Seeing the movement of small, black dots around the light bandages that had been applied to the boy the pink haired kunoichi now felt a certain degree of respect for the diligent efforts of the tiny creatures…even if they were still a little creepy.

Shifting her gaze and moving to where Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru were lying the pink haired kunoichi cringed slightly. The somewhat wild boy was very pale, a result of the poison that had ravaged his system. Unlike Shino, whose Kikaichu had helped to remove much of the toxins, Kiba had been forced to rely upon the injected curative that Kakashi had provided. The boy had been given a third injection a half hour ago after being moved up to this room to help bolster his immune system's defenses against the unknown toxin of the Demon Brothers. Reaching down Sakura noted that Kiba was still sweating profusely. Removing the folded washcloth that had been placed upon the boy's head to replace it with a new one Sakura saw Akamaru lift his head up a little and give a small whimper.

"It's okay, I'm just changing this one with a new one," Sakura told the small, bandaged pup as she put a fresh, cool washcloth on his master's forehead.

Reaching over to give the white puppy a careful, comforting pet on the head Sakura felt the small dog lightly lick her hand, his way of saying thanks for her concern and help. It had been something of a surprise, well not so much a surprise as Shino's bugs, when Akamaru had regained consciousness as they were finishing bandaging everyone up. The small dog had whined sadly after waking and seeing Kiba. Kakashi had little explanation for how it was that Akamaru had regained consciousness and seemed to not be suffering as badly as his human counterpart, so Sakura had simply chalked it up to one of those odd instances of luck. Refusing to leave his master's, his partner's, his friend's side Akamaru diligently and loyally waited for the brown haired boy to reawaken.

"It'll be okay," the pink haired girl said, to reassure not only the small dog but herself as well.

Seeing the pup lay his head back down on Kiba's open left hand Sakura smiled lightly at the sign of loyalty as she moved over to look at Yuuhi Kurenai. Like two of her genin Kurenai's injuries had been bad, though she had thankfully not suffered the same poisoning. The normally beautiful woman's face was badly bruised underneath the carefully applied medical tape that had been used to brace her realigned broken nose. Not having a proper brace to deal with the woman's broken left collar bone Kakashi had rigged up a makeshift brace around her neck using a folded bath towel. The spongy bath towel was resistant enough to prevent Kurenai from moving her neck and putting pressure on the site the fractured clavicle. On top of the brace Kakashi had carefully put Kurenai's left arm in a sling after he had popped it back into its joint, a procedure that had been made even more difficult by the fact that the left clavicle had been broken closely where it connected to the scapula bone.

Kneeling down next to the elder kunoichi Sakura noted that Kurenai's breathing was shallow yet steady. Recalling what Kakashi had said Sakura knew that this was a good sign. Kurenai had nearly drowned several times and as such her lungs had gotten water in them, though thankfully the woman had coughed out much of it once she was retrieved from the ball of water she had been imprisoned in. However, fearing that Kurenai could develop pneumonia Kakashi had forced a few antibiotic pills down the kunoichi's throat. On top of that a salve had been placed on the upper part of the older kunoichi's chest, over the bandages that hid her breasts and the broken and bruised ribs that lay underneath her pale skin. The slave had not been something that Kakashi or anyone in Team 7 had brought with them. The odd paste had been offered to them by Tsunami after her father had told her the details of the fight between the Konoha-nin and the missing-nin hired to kill him. Tsunami had said that it was an old remedy used by the people of wave and its sailors for helping to heal those who had nearly drowned in the waters that surrounded their country. Supposedly the vapors when breathed in would help the person's lungs, but….

"_**How can we trust these people? They lie and deceive," **_Inner Sakura ranted angrily. _**"It is because of them that we see our friends lying here in such a state."**_

"_But only Tazuna lied…," _Sakura thought in reply. _"What if…What if Tsunami isn't…?"_

"_**She is his daughter," **_the inner voice of the kunoichi reasoned, her antipathy easily apparent. _**"Flesh of his flesh and blood of his blood. Do you truly expect the child to be any different from the parent?"**_

"_No," _the pink haired girl silently resolved. _"They can not be trusted. We will have to watch them carefully."_

Standing up Sakura looked to the final member of Team 8. Lying peacefully near the windows of the room Hyuuga Hinata was bathed in the last of the day's dying light. Walking over slowly Sakura recalled how she had knocked out the panicking girl earlier that day.

Frowning deeply as she looked at the young Hyuuga heiress the pink haired girl thought, _"Look at you, lying so peaceful…."_

"_**After all that she failed to do," **_Sakura's inner voice objected. _**"Unable to protect her teammates or herself…."**_

Kneeling down Sakura silently remarked, _"So fragile and delicate, so…weak."_

"_**Yes, she is weak,"**_ Inner Sakura responded darkly. _**"Not like us, we grow ever stronger. She…there is little need for her."**_

"_Little need whatsoever,"_ the pink haired kunoichi echoed as she pulled a kunai from the holster on her right thigh.

"_**Let us end her, she will only hinder us,"**_ the inner voice commented.

"_Yes," _Sakura thought as her hand steadily positioned the tip of the kunai near the soft flesh of Hinata's throat.

Looking down at the sleeping girl Sakura's green eyes seemed to grow cold. Preparing to push the small blade through the unprotected throat that lay beneath it Sakura's hand suddenly began to shake like a dried leaf in the wind.

"_**We must not hesitate, we must act," **_Inner Sakura quietly insisted.

Moving her left hand over to grasp her right hand Sakura tried to steady her shaking, the tip of the kunai dancing dangerously close to Hinata's flesh. Staring at the girl lying before her helpless Sakura's eye narrowed.

"_She's always been so quiet, so shy," _the pink haired girl thought, her hands still shaking. _"She's so unassuming, so fragile looking."_

"_**Just as we were before we saw the truth, before we grew stronger," **_Inner Sakura stated with a snort of disgust. _**"She is a reminder of such failings. Erase her and erase our own failings."**_

"_But…she's my friend," _Sakura replied, recalling moments over the past year at the Academy.

"_**She defeated us, she needs to pay for that,"**_ the inner voice demanded.

Bringing her hands up to her chest so that the ring of the kunai was just touching her bottom lip Sakura recalled that day. It was shortly after Naruto had arrived at the Academy. Hinata had been paired against her in a sparring match. It should have been an easy win, but the dark haired girl had beaten Sakura easily.

"_Naruto…Naruto spoke to her, gave her confidence," _the pink haired girl recalled.

"_**He should have spoken to us!" **_Inner Sakura countered brusquely. _**"He is ours now, she can not have him!"**_

"_Sasuke-kun…I love Sasuke-kun, not Naruto," _Sakura quietly retorted.

"_**Who says we can not have both?"**_ the inner voice seductively whispered. _**"They are our teammates, they look at us. They should be the only ones to touch us just as we shall be the only one to touch them!"**_

Unbidden the image of Hochu Niimi came back to Sakura's mind. The slight fatness of his face, the slickness of his hair as it was pulled in a sloppy comb over to hide his growing baldness, the horrible grin on his face, but most importantly his words and the look of glee that came to his eyes as he had looked at her.

"No, please no,"Sakura quietly whispered, tears starting to fall down her cheeks.

"_**It's okay, he is gone now," **_the voice of Inner Sakura reminded calmly, _**"Gone forever…just as she will soon be."**_

Looking back to Hinata, who was still in a blissful slumber, Sakura recalled the 'girl' time the young Hyuuga heiress had spent with her and Ino during the Academy. It had been fun, getting away from the boys for an afternoon every once and a while. They hadn't even acted as kunoichi, but as the young teenage girls they were becoming. Hinata had of course been as shy and quiet as usual, but she had begun to open up around them and actually seemed to truly enjoy the time they spent together.

"My friend, she's my friend," Sakura began to mumble, tears falling from her eyes.

"_**No she is not our friend!" **_Inner Sakura screamed. _**"She is weak! She is a reminder! She must…!"**_

Screwing her eyes shut Sakura stabbed with her kunai as hard as she could. Her eyes blurry with tears the pink haired girl let go of the handle of the small blade. Shoved nearly up to its hilt into the wooden paneling beneath the window the kunai remained firmly stuck as Sakura curled up into ball on the floor next to Hinata and silently cried.

* * *

In one particular office within Konoha a light flickered to life as a hand retreated slowly from the small lamp that sat on the large wooden desk. It was just enough light to fight the coming darkness and yet it seemed to cast numerous shadows across the room.

"So, how will this news affect your recruits and their training?" Usohakkenki Takara asked, settling into a chair next to the desk.

Shutting the door to his office Bunji replied, "It complicates things, but if Konoha doesn't have to join in the fighting right away then we'll have more time to train. Hiroto and Juro are already accelerating training per my orders, but hopefully the main divisions won't need replacements too quickly should the fighting indeed spread."

"Hmm," the Captain of the Counterintelligence Division hummed, bringing the tip of her braided pony tail up to tickle her lips. "Do you think it will come to that?"

Walking over to his liquor cabinet the Captain of the Training Division commented, "I hope not, but we may have little choice in the matter. Despite what confidence the Hokage has we may need to send in a group to pull Team 7 and 8 out before they get caught in the crossfire. Not to mention pulling that ANBU team of yours out as well."

"Sending that team in was supposed to be a way to prevent this war," the old green eyed kunoichi supplied wearily. "I don't like the idea of failing."

"I would hardly consider it a failure. You thought there would be more time…we all did," Bunji remarked, turning around holding a bottle of one of his favorite whiskeys. "Drink?"

"Ugh, you still drink that stuff after all these years?" Takara said with a frown as she spied the bottle.

"It grows on you if you give it a chance," the single eyed ANBU Captain countered as he turned back to the cabinet to pour out some of the amber alcohol. "But then again maybe you'd prefer this?"

Not even turning back to the guest in his office Bunji lifted a different bottle up to just over his shoulder. Shifting her eyes to the new object Takara noted that how the scant light of the desk lamp played over the dark green glass of the bottle and the yellowed label that was stuck to it.

"Sixty-three years old, properly aged wouldn't you say?" the single eyed Captain remarked as he removed the wax covering and cork.

"You remember my tastes well," the grey pony tail wearing kunoichi noted as she watched her favorite type of plum wine get poured out into a waiting glass.

"One of my best traits, I have a flawless memory," Bunji noted bring the drinks over and taking a seat opposite his old teammate. "Though today's events are something I would prefer to forget."

"Hmm," Takara hummed as she sipped at her wine. "Things did start to get out of hand once the Hokage announced that the Benihime would be leading the operation against Wave."

Taking a gulp from his glass Bunji let the alcohol swirl in his mouth as he enjoyed its flavor and the subtle numbing burn it produced before saying, "Nekoirazu seemed particularly distressed about it."

"Kenshin and Ryoko have a history together," the green eyed kunoichi commented as Bunji gave her a inquisitive look. "Apparently the two had something of a fling together shortly after Ryoko finished her colonial campaign. From what I understand she is the only woman ever to break up with Kenshin and not the other way around. My little Baka-deshi's pride was wounded because of that. You've never heard him rant about it; he'll go on for hours at a time and forget all about his work."

Having been dumped numerous times over the years by women Bunji simply scoffed, "He should learn to get over it."

Takara only shrugged in response. Taking a potshot at her old friend's horrible luck with the dating scene was far too easy. Besides, she had tormented him enough about it over the years.

"I would suggest you not trying to teach him how to get over it," Takara remarked her green shining slightly with mirth. "Kenshin has a habit of going after people who try to interfere with his affairs. He won't care that you're a fellow Captain; he'll burn you just the same."

"I'll be careful not to step on his toes then," the single eyed Captain remarked with a slight chuckle.

For a moment the two sat quietly sipping their drinks. Finishing her wine Takara set her glass down before rising to her feet.

"It's nice to have these moments every once and a while," the old green eyed kunoichi said, earning a grunt from her old friend. "It's too bad Ayeka wasn't here to enjoy it as well. It'd be just like the old days."

Setting down his unfinished glass of whiskey Bunji slowly remarked, "Yeah, it would be."

Stepping over to let her hand run over the old shinobi's gray crew cut Takara quietly responded, "The two of you should forgive each other. You're both right and you're both wrong."

Grabbing the kunoichi's hand as it left this head Bunji looked up at her with a single eye as he exclaimed in a harsh whisper, "You know…about the fight?"

Slipping her hand out of his grip easily Takara smiled a sad smile as she answered, "Of course I do. Just as I know that the two of you are trying to find this suspected shadow heir of the Clan Shugorei. Ayeka and I have always shared secrets with one another."

"What have you found out about…?" the one eyed ANBU Captain began to ask before his female counterpart cut him off.

"I put a few files in your desk's left drawer," the pony tail wearing kunoichi supplied. "It's everything that I have regarding the list of candidates you've been researching."

"Uzumaki?" Bunji asked.

"On the top, but don't expect too much. The Hokage keeps a very close eye on any and all information regarding that boy," Takara said as she walked towards the office door.

"Thanks, I owe you," the Captain of the Training Division supplied.

"Don't worry, I'll take this as payment," Takara replied holding up the bottle of plum wine that she had snatched from the liquor cabinet.

Seeing what his old teammate was taking Bunji let out a low chuckle.

"A word of warning though Bunji," the Captain of Counterintelligence said as her hand touched the doorknob. "If this heir exists find him or her quickly."

"Oh?" the one eyed shinobi remarked.

"Kenshin is pursuing the Tsubasa case still. Something sparked his interest in it a month or so ago, a scrap of an old manuscript that crumbled into dust when he tried to preserve it. That crumbling piece of paper apparently spoke of the usage of silver coins, 'Enforcers of the Throne', and 'Traitors to the Realm'. Even now he has a small team of agents scouring old libraries and museums looking for anything similar to that piece of manuscript. He also has them talking to every single historian and archaeologist they can find regarding the words he saw on it. I only know this because he came to me asking questions about you and what knowledge you have regarding history before the formation of the Hidden Villages," the old kunoichi warned in a serious tone. "Kenshin may not know for sure, but he does suspect that you withheld information regarding the incident. I've never known you to lie, but I do know that you have omitted elements of the truth when you had to do your duty to the Shugorei in the past."

"I…," Bunji tried to say only for Takara to interrupt him.

"I saw the evidence just as you did. Tsubasa was a major criminal and an embarrassment to Konoha," the old kunoichi noted. "Honestly I applaud whoever killed him, but that won't matter to Kenshin. My old Baka-deshi won't give up and once he finds the perpetrator he'll go after anyone he thinks may have been an accomplice, regardless of who they are or what position they hold. I don't want to see you imprisoned and I definitely don't want Ayeka put there either. Find this heir if he or she exists and then figure out what needs to be done. Do it quickly."

Hearing the warning from his old friend Bunji frowned as she walked out of his office. Getting up from his chair and moving over to his desk the ANBU Captain found the files that his old teammate had left. Letting his single amber eye fall onto them the old Captain gave a tired sigh as he shut the drawer. Takara was a good friend to both him and Ayeka, but despite her warning the search would have to wait. Picking up the training schedule the man began to carefully review and revise it. Bunji knew that his responsibility to Konoha took precedence over anything he felt for what remained of the Shugorei and that meant preparing his division as best he could.

* * *

Across Konoha in a different office the situation regarding Wave and what effect it would be having upon Konoha was being discussed.

"I am truly sorry that you have been placed in such a position my old friend," Madam Shijimi remarked quietly.

"It's not your fault," Sarutobi replied, puffing on his pipe lightly. "Sooner or later someone was going to challenge the peace we held. I had only hoped that it would not occur under my watch once again."

In the office of the Hokage as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon the Sandaime sat with his guest, the wife of the Fire Daimyo.

"That someone is my daughter, my little girl," the slightly plump woman noted sadly. "I…."

"Do not blame yourself Shijimi," the Hokage said, letting the formalities of honorifics disappear as two old friends conversed. "You tried to be the best mother you could be. Ryoko has always been a spitfire."

"Takeshi is preparing to name her heir-designate," Madam Shijimi supplied, indicating what her husband was thinking. "Daisuke's decision hurt him greatly. Deep down I think he has forgiven him, but appearances must be maintained. Ryoko has taken the place Daisuke once held."

Sarutobi let out a sigh, breathing a long wisp of smoke from his mouth before saying, "I understand; it is difficult for a father to see his son turn his back upon all that he has been taught. However, there is always hope."

"Hope?" the wife of the Daimyo scoffed, her voice trembling slightly. "Ryoko has done everything to place herself as the most logical choice to be the heir. Yasu-chan is the exact opposite of her sister, far too introverted to be considered a viable candidate. Akira…Akira is still could the makings of a good Daimyo if he learned some patience, but he admires Ryoko just as she admired Daisuke. He would defer to her and even now is seeking to gain a position in the army. Ichirou is just like Akira, though he wants to join the navy when old enough. That only leaves Aina and she's still a child despite trying to impress everyone by playing at being mature. No, as it stands now Ryoko will be named heir-designate by the end of the year."

The old Hokage wanted to say something, anything really, that would be of comfort. However, Shijimi was accurate in her analysis, a strength that had attracted the attention and affection of Takeshi nearly thirty years ago. The laws of succession in the Country of Fire were clear. They did not discriminate against male or female and though the first born child was almost always accepted as the primary heir for any family such status was not set in stone. In the case of the royal succession it had happened in the past where the first born was passed over in favor of a sibling or relative that was considered to be better suited.

"What about one of Takeshi's nieces or nephews?" asked the elder leader of Konoha. "One of them could…."

"No, they are all spoiled fools. The only roles they would fulfill would be those of puppets. Takeshi is a student of history, he won't allow Fire Country to be put in such a situation again," Madam Shijimi reluctantly interrupted. "I am afraid we've been outmaneuvered my old friend. Ryoko will be designated as heir even if it takes the Council of Lords to do it. She has numerous allies, especially since she is pushing the hawks' agenda."

"Konoha can make a difference if it should go to a vote," the Hokage offered. "I can swing votes to block it if…."

"That could have been true a decade ago, but no longer," the plump brown haired woman remarked. "The hawks have grown stronger while many we once counted as allies have been replaced or are now unsure if peace is the path we should truly pursue. The lure of power, the drive the hawks have to see Fire Country rule over all others, we defeated it in the past but it has come back strong while we have weakened. You are not getting any younger Sarutobi and neither am I. We could have counted on Minato to continue your work and bolster our position with ease, but he is gone like many others."

"There are other suitable replacements," Sarutobi stated slowly.

"Who? Jiraiya no longer desires the position of Hokage and what ambition he once had for it was passed onto Minato. Tsunade…Tsunade wishes nothing to do with Konoha anymore and is content to merely waste the remainder of her life drinking and gambling," Madam Shijimi reasoned with a sad smile. "Hatake Kakashi and your own son, Asuma…. They have the necessary experience, but only in the being military leaders. Neither of them has what it takes to play the political games that are required of a Hokage."

"There is someone else," the Sandaime supplied after taking a long draw upon his pipe. "He's still young and inexperienced, but that is changing quickly. His growth is phenomenal and he already shows the strength and traits necessary to be a Hokage. In fact he could easily surpass me and the others if he chose to do so."

"Oh, and who exactly is this miracle-in-waiting?" the Daimyo's wife jokingly asked. "You may think that whoever he is can do it, but I hear a major 'but' being left unsaid."

"Well, he has certain…issues regarding the position," Sarutobi noted with a slight cringe as he recalled some of the more violent conversations that had arisen around the issue.

"You don't exactly fill me with hope when you say it like that," Madam Shijimi said, looking her old friend in the eyes. "You might be content to place your hopes in such a person, but I must be realistic when I look to the future. Daisuke is not going to return to save the day and neither will your miracle-in-waiting. Such things only occur in storybooks."

"All stories have some grain of truth to them," the Sandaime remarked. "Heroes do exist. Our hope calls them forth when they are needed most."

"Idealistic as always," the brown haired woman conceded as she closed her eyes to fight off the tiredness that pulled at her mind, body, and soul.

"_Not idealistic," _the old Hokage thought as he exhaled a small bit of smoke and thought of one surprising blond haired boy. _"Hopeful."_

* * *

The first star of the evening had begun to twinkle in the sky. Sitting on the branches of a tree Naruto could not help but admire the way the small specks of light shown on the dark sky. It was his turn to guard the perimeter around Tazuna's home, but the whiskered boy could not help but let himself enjoy the quiet respite that early evening offered. No matter how far he had traveled, all those years with Jinjiro, the young Shugorei heir found that the stars always sparkled. To him that was magnificent.

"Anything out there?" Kakashi asked, silently landing on the branch to the left of his blond student.

"Not right now," Naruto replied flatly, leaning back against the trunk of the tree.

"It's been quite the day, hasn't it," the grey haired jounin remarked, more a statement of fact than a question.

Giving a silent nod Naruto felt his senses tingle slightly as a familiar presence came near. The slight rustle of leaves indicated Sasuke's arrival on the branch to the Shugorei heir's right. The Uchiha was supposed to be resting since he had spent most of his day guarding the perimeter that Naruto now oversaw.

"Sasuke, I thought I told you to get something to eat and then get some rest," Kakashi calmly stated.

"This seemed more interesting," Sasuke replied, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Letting a sly grin form on his face Naruto commented, "And the fact that you know I packed a scroll with actual food sealed in it rather than just field rations has nothing to do with it, right?"

Catching the slight flush of embarrassment from his friend Naruto let out a hearty chuckle. The standard Konoha field ration was designed to supply the necessary vitamins, minerals, and other dietary needs of a shinobi in the field. However, while these rations were indeed edible the taste left something to be desired. Supposedly a member of the ANBU had once described the taste as being akin to sweaty leather mixed with bland cardboard.

"You wouldn't mind sharing, would you?" Kakashi asked, recalling that little had changed since his former lieutenant had made them derisive comment regarding the flavor and taste.

"What would you guys do without me?" the whiskered blond replied, fishing a medium sized scroll out of the pouch near his lower back and then tossing it over to the jounin. "I took the liberty of _borrowing_ from Buntaro's pantry before we left to supplement what I already had. Sakura's cousin may be a bit odd, but he's got good taste in food."

"You stole from him?" asked the raven haired Uchiha.

"He had enough there to feed Chouji for a year," the cerulean eye blond answered. "I doubt he or his chef will notice. Besides, I only took about a week's worth."

Hearing his student's remark Kakashi shook his head as a smile hid beneath his mask. Only Naruto would be cheeky enough to filch from a member of the strong merchant family, especially when that member had been kind enough to put them up for a few days.

"How much does that give us then?" the grey haired jounin asked.

"Two weeks if it were just us and Sakura," Naruto replied off handedly. "However, with Team 8 added in and…well, I assume we aren't going to be cruel enough to eat all of that in front of Tazuna and his family."

Kakashi let out a tired sigh as the blond genin's words brought back to mind the sorry state of affairs that the Country of Wave was now facing. Gato had put an economic stranglehold onto the small country. Poverty was rampant and starvation was a major threat as most of the people were barely able to survive on what little food the man's thugs didn't seize. Tazuna and his family had been spared the worst of it, but what little they did have would barely last a day if they attempted to feed the group of Konoha-nin.

"We'll share with Tazuna and his family," the Copy-nin stated, knowing well the situation that they faced. "We need their support right now just as much as they need ours."

"Then that will only last us about eight or nine days if we ration it carefully and add to it whatever other rations we and Team 8 have," Naruto supplied with a bit of a frown as he crossed his arms over his chest and took on a thinking position.

"Hunting and foraging can help…," Sasuke noted slowly. "But it seems that the locals have already picked much of this place clean."

"We'll start worrying about that later," Kakashi stated calmly. "Right now we need to plan what our next move is going to be."

Hearing the jounin's words Sasuke took on a similar frown and thinking position to the one Naruto was already in. The situation wasn't good and the two genin were quite aware of that fact.

"Team 8 is stable now, but I don't want to chance moving them unless we're forced to," the grey haired jounin noted slowly. "That means we're staying until we can move them safely or we can get aid from Konoha."

"What are the chances that Jiji sends a rescue team when we fail to report back in a couple of days?" Naruto asked, opening his left eye to look at Kakashi.

"Normally I would say chances are pretty good, but this isn't a normal situation," the Copy-nin answered, having no idea what events were converging upon the country he and his team now found themselves in. "A team may already be on the way or it could be a while before one gets sent."

"We send Konoha a message then," Sasuke stated with a frown, not particularly liking the idea of having to wait for rescue.

"The only way we can do that is if one of us goes," the whiskered blond supplied. "If someone could get to an outpost on the Fire Country side of the border…."

"We can do one better," Kakashi interrupted, a small smile growing under his mask. "There's an ANBU team here in Wave, Hokage-sama mentioned them before we left for our mission to the port."

"Get them to reinforce us?" Sasuke inquired. "Will they do that if it interferes with their own mission?"

"Normally they wouldn't, but this ANBU team was sent orders similar to our own regarding Team 8," the Copy-nin said, recalling what had been written in the message he had received barely a day ago. "Being on long range reconnaissance they should also have a couple of messenger birds with them."

"If they got similar orders then why aren't they already here helping us?" Naruto asked looking opening both eyes to look at the jounin.

"Standard procedure for ANBU on a mission is to be wary of orders that contradict the mission," Kakashi responded knowingly. "They probably are waiting for a second message to confirm the first."

"So you contact them and they come and help us out," the Shugorei heir noted.

"Yeah, but I'll have to make contact with them in person if we want it to work," the grey haired jounin replied, his voice becoming totally serious once again. "I have a good idea of where they are, but it'll take at least half a day to make contact. You two would be on your own to protect Tazuna, his family, and Team 8 during that time."

"We also have Sakura and Hinata to help us," Naruto pointed out, knowing that Hinata would probably awake in the morning.

"Not exactly the best back up," Sasuke noted coolly.

Growling Naruto retorted, "Those are our comrades you're…."

"Sasuke has a point and you know it Naruto," Kakashi interrupted. "Hinata was having a panic attack before Sakura knocked her out and Sakura isn't exactly ready to get into a major fight. Either or both of them could end up freezing up if trouble decides to come calling."

"I think you're selling them a little too short," the blond Shugorei retorted.

"Am I? If push comes to shove are you willing to put your life and the lives of your fellow comrades in their hands?" the jounin asked in a dead serious voice.

Biting his lip as he knew the answer but didn't want to say it, Naruto remained silent.

"I thought so," Kakashi said, folding his arms over his chest.

"No, if it comes down to it…," the whiskered blond began to respond, "…I'll use the Kyuubi."

Hearing the boy Kakashi narrowed his eye as it met resolute blue eyes before widening as his mind realized just what Naruto had said out loud. Looking over to where Sasuke was sitting the jounin saw the raven haired boy sitting as calm and cool as he had been before the blond had revealed one of the greatest secrets that he and Konoha had.

Catching the jounin's gaze Sasuke responded, "What?"

"He already knows," Naruto interjected calmly. "He knows about the Kyuubi, about my parents, about the Shugorei, everything."

"How?" the jounin asked.

"I told him," the blond boy answered.

His mind trying to rapidly process what he was learning the Copy-nin asked, "Does the Hokage know about this? Have you told anyone else?"

"No and no," Naruto partially lied, knowing that Danzou had already known the whole truth. "But it hardly matters; it's my secret after all."

Kakashi knew that there was a bit of truth to what Naruto has said. The secrets were his and the boy could technically reveal them to whomever he wished. However, part of the jounin did not approve due in part to the need to maintain village security, but even more importantly to keep the ambitious blond safe.

"You're right, but if you decide to reveal it to anyone else I would like it if you at least consulted with me or the Hokage first," Kakashi remarked, concern in his voice.

"I'll think about it," the blond boy replied.

Knowing that answer was probably the best he would be able to get Kakashi reminded the boy, "Using the Kyuubi is a last resort. I'd prefer you not using it at all."

Giving a nod the blue eyes Shugorei responded, "I know…it's a final option only if worse come to worse. Hopefully it won't be necessary."

"Alright then," the grey haired man said with a tired sigh. "Are you two absolutely sure you will be able to handle things if I go?"

Looking to one another for a moment Sasuke and Naruto turned and nodded simultaneously in affirmation.

"I'll leave tomorrow morning, hopefully I'll be back before evening with the ANBU in tow and a message to Konoha," Kakashi supplied. "If something does go wrong you two know what to do."

Looking the jounin in the eye both boys nodded. Their first priority would be Team 8, followed by Tazuna and his family. It wasn't pretty and it was far from ideal, but….

"Tazuna's going to want to work on his bridge," Naruto commented.

"Well he's going to have to wait," the Copy-nin replied sternly. "We have more pressing concerns, like keeping us alive and him alive."

"Then I think we should let him get back to work," the blond genin responded seriously. "We put him out on the bridge with a guard or two and…."

"It draws attention away from his home," Sasuke finished for the blond, seeing where his friend's logic was going. "Put him out there as bait and anyone that comes after him will do so away from where we've got the most to lose. It's risky, but it could work."

Kakashi wanted to dismiss the idea, but the older shinobi hesitated to do so. Over the years he had participated in similar operations and knew that if done right it was an effective tactic. It was indeed risky, but it would draw attention away from the bridge builder's home, his family, and the unconscious members of Team 8.

"Alright, Sasuke will guard Tazuna tomorrow and if Sakura and Hinata are up to it they'll rotate shifts with him," Kakashi said, quickly holding out a hand to quiet any protest. "It can't be you, Naruto. Your skills and your ability to use Kage Bunshin are vital to defending, and if necessary, evacuating the other members of Team 8. Once I get back we'll set up a better guard rotation."

Accepting their jounin-sensei's orders Naruto and Sasuke both nodded. Neither genin liked the idea completely, Sasuke because of the idea that he couldn't do it on his own and Naruto because it was initially his plan. However, orders were orders and in this case Kakashi's logic was sound.

"I have every confidence in the two of you. You both know what needs to be done," the grey haired Konoha-nin said reassuringly. "Once I get the ANBU team and send the message it'll only be a matter of time before we're back home."

* * *

**AN:** _New chapter, Yay! So far there are over 90,000 hits on this story and just under 360 reviews, not too bad if I say so myself. I wonder when it'll break 100,000 hits and 500 reviews. I'd say that I should do a commemorative one-shot for when that happens, but I think all of you readers would prefer another chapter rather than me splitting my efforts. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read my 'little' story and review, your comments are always wonderful to read._

_**Tyrchon**_


	20. Chapter 19: But Not Out

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 19 – But Not Out**_

* * *

"Please, please don't!"

"Oh but I think we will," the thug said, his face a bit grimy as dirt clung to the stubble he hadn't bothered to shave off for a few days. "What do you say boys, care for some fun?"

The three criminals let out a round of laughter as they looked at the young woman they had cornered in the alleyway. The girl couldn't be a day older than sixteen, her blond hair was short and a bit unkempt but that didn't bother the three rapists in the least. Her face was dirty, her tears starting to cause the dirt and dust on her cheeks to wash off onto the dark rough-spun dress she wore. She had been stumbling along one of the more deserted parts of town, most likely looking for something to eat, when the three men had spotted her.

"Looks like someone might have marked her already," the second mugger joked at the girl and the scars that were begging to show on the cheeks of her face. "I guess we'll have to brand her somewhere else."

Crime in the Country of Wave wasn't something especially new, however since the arrival of Gato it had exploded to a level that had once been unthinkable. While the so-called businessman plundered the economy his hired thugs did exactly as they were ordered, letting everyone know who the boss was and taking what they pleased in the process. For many of the women and young girls of the country this meant something quite horrible indeed.

"Heh, I don't see why these bitches even bother wearing clothes no more," the third and final bandit snidely remarked as he began to unbutton his fly in preparation. "Lil' slut's not only gonna be a sorry piece of ass, but a sore one as well."

"Yeah, yeah!" the second man crowed, pulling a wickedly curved knife from one of his pockets. "Ya hear that honey-cunt? We going be having some real fun with ya."

Her back to the stone wall as the trio advanced upon her the girl let her head fall slightly. Small sound seemed to escape from her.

"Aw don't cry little bitch," the lead bandit said with a grin that showed gaps where some of his yellow teeth were missing. "We're going to make you fell real good. You're going to love playing with us."

Head down the small sound emanating from the girl began to grow until the three men heard it quite clear.

"Oh you've got one thing right," the girl said with a cold laugh, her head coming up to reveal hard, crystal blue eyes. "I am going to enjoy this."

"What the…?!" the men exclaimed as suddenly the girl they had cornered disappeared in a puff of smoke only to be replaced by a boy with blond hair.

"Okay then," Shugorei Naruto said, his eyes narrowing as he dropped down into a loose combat stance. "Who's first?"

Not waiting for the men to come out of their confusion the whiskered boy shot forward to drive his elbow deep into the sternum of the lead man. Seeing the man double over Naruto grabbed the ragged collar of the man's shirt and threw him into the wall that the group had tried to corner him against. Having already heard a small pop when his elbow connected with the man's chest Naruto let his smirk grow as he heard a loud crack follow the man impacting face first into the wall. The way the mugger's neck was bent at a sharp angle as loosely crumpled to the ground easily told the blond genin everything he needed to know.

"Why you little shit!" the thug with the knife yelled before storming forward.

Seeing the knife wielding man charging straight at him Naruto brought both of his hands down to catch the wrist holding the knife meant to stab him. Grasping the man's wrist the blond boy twisted it sharply, dropping the man to his knees. Bending the twisted arm up over the kneeling man's shoulder Naruto saw the knife fall loosely from the man's hand. However, before the mugger could even register that he had lost his blade it was plucked from the air by the whiskered boy before being shoved deeply into its owner's back. Buried to the hilt in the flesh of its owner the sharp knife had easily severed the man's spine. Releasing his hold on the handle and stepping forward Naruto's face was completely void of emotion as the man simply slumped forward, no longer able to feel or move anything below his neck.

Seeing his two compatriots lying unmoving on the ground the last man let out a small cry before turning on his heel and taking off towards the mouth of the alley. He hadn't made it more than two feet before he stumbled, feeling a sharp pain in the back of both of his legs.

"I didn't say you could leave," Naruto remarked coldly as he walked over to the man on his hands and knees due to the two kunai that had severed the muscle of his calves.

His face impassive the blond genin lashed out with a vicious kick to the ribs of the prone would-be-rapist. Kneeling down next to the man Naruto pulled his head back an inch to avoid the wild swing of one of the man's fists. Letting out a _'tsking'_ sound the whiskered blond pulled a kunai from the holster on his right thigh.

"Can't have you flailing about," the young Shugorei stated as he grabbed the man's hands and drove the small blade through both of the palms and into the cobblestones that lined the alleyway, pinning them as if they were nothing more than a butterfly in a display case. "There now, much better."

"Please, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," the man pleaded fearfully as blood dribbled from his hands and mixed with the dirty puddles on the alley floor.

"Yes, you are," Naruto said impassively as he took a moment and wondered how many people had begged the now whimpering man for mercy only to be denied it. "But don't worry, that's going to end real soon."

Hearing the promise in the boy's voice the man's eyes opened wide with fear as he spluttered out, "N-n-n-no, you…you can't do this. I…I…."

Pulling a new kunai out the young Shugorei barely whispered out, "You're going to tell me everything."

Stationed on the buildings above the alley and at its mouth several Kage Bunshin puffed into being. Staring out over the impoverished town the clones began to run through handseals before a slight shimmer filled the air between them. The barrier was designed to prevent sound from escaping and would drain the solid clones rather quickly, but their creator had already taken that into account. As the screams of the man began to echo off of the walls of the alley way the blond clones stood impassively, their faces mirroring the emotionless visage of their creator as he took the thug apart piece by piece.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke had discovered that guarding Tazuna as the man went about directing construction of his bridge was…well rather interesting. The old man directed the group as if it were a small army, every task being completed as with an unusual quickness. Admiring the organizational efficiency that Tazuna demonstrated Sasuke was even more impressed with the fact that the man didn't just direct the operation. For every piece of steel laid and every inch of concrete poured Tazuna was right there, working and sweating alongside his men. It was only early afternoon of the first day, but it seemed possible that things might just be turning in their favor.

"Oi, brat!"

Hearing the loud call from the man Sasuke looked down from the perch he had taken on top of a set of steel I-beams.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but shouldn't that sensei of yours be here as well?" Tazuna inquired, wiping some of the sweat from his brow. "I didn't even see him about when we left the house this morning."

"He is…," Sasuke hesitated for a moment, "…seeking a remedy that will cure our situation."

"Oh, um…then I guess that's a good thing," the old man said, remembering the skirmish that the Konoha-nin had already had with Momochi Zabuza.

Sasuke didn't say so but part of him did not like the idea that his sensei was out seeking the aid of an in-country ANBU team. As an Uchiha he was supposed to be the one of the best, one of Konoha's elite, he wasn't supposed to need help in dealing with situations. Shifting his eyes to gaze over the waters below the bridge the Uchiha heir knew that his blond teammate was most likely feeling the same.

"_Naruto and I should have protested it," _Sasuke thought quietly, recalling the pact he and the Shugorei heir had made to become the best. _"If we were to hunt down Gato we could end this all with one fell swoop. Why is Kakashi being so cautious? Doesn't he realize that we…"_

Breaking from his thoughts Sasuke caught sight of a pink head of hair weaving past the workers and construction equipment that busily worked to finish the large bridge. Haruno Sakura had taken on a more decisive attitude, one that Sasuke appreciated far better than her normal naïve attitude. Watching the girl move towards him the young Uchiha let a small grin barely form on his face. Naruto and Kakashi seemed to be a bit worried about the turn in Sakura's persona, but….

"Seen anything suspicious Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, idly flipping a kunai in the air as she looked around the area with guarded eyes.

"_Kakashi and Naruto don't know what they're talking about, she's fine," _the raven haired genin thought, as he saw Sakura give a harsh look at Tazuna's back. _"Better than fine, she's finally started acting like a real kunoichi is all."_

"Everything's been relatively calm," the Uchiha heir stated as he dropped down from his perch to stand next to the pink hired girl. "One of the workers dropped a hot rivet and almost burned a fellow worker because of it, but other than that nothing has really happened. I'm actually beginning to wish some of Gato's thugs would actually show up and…. Hey! What are you…?"

Catching the raven haired boy unaware Sakura grabbed Sasuke's right bicep and began to drag her teammate forcibly. Moving until the two were just behind the stack of I-beams, out of the sight of Tazuna and his workers, Sakura finally released her grip. Shooting the pink haired kunoichi a look Sasuke rubbed at his arm to relieve the slight soreness that had been created by Sakura's near iron grip.

"What was that for?" Sasuke began to demand only to meet the stare coming from the hard green eyes of the girl.

"What about Tazuna…has he done anything strange?" Sakura asked.

"No…," the Uchiha replied slowly, one of his eyebrows rising slightly.

Sliding past Sasuke in order to peer around the stack of metal Sakura remarked, "He's taking quite awhile talking to that group over there, speaking quite animatedly too."

Leaning past the stack of I-beams Sasuke spied the old bridge builder facing some of the members of the work crew. Tazuna seemed to be talking very quickly and gesturing frantically as the other men let their heads hang slightly. Watching the men turn around and walk away as the old bridge builder's shoulders seemed to slump slightly, Sasuke knew what had just occurred.

"They're quitting the job…," the raven haired genin noted quietly.

"Hmm," Sakura hummed, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Maybe…."

"That makes for a total of seven since we got here this morning and the day is only halfway over," Sasuke calmly supplied as he watched the old bridge builder move to continue working. "It seems Gato doesn't even need to attack, just the threat is killing Tazuna's workforce."

"Serves him right," Sakura said bitterly.

Turning his head to see the kunoichi leaning against the stack of beams with a small smirk Sasuke let his own eyes narrow. It was true that Tazuna had lied to Konoha and was, in a way, responsible for the ambush that had injured most of Team 8, however….

"Despite his deception, there is something about him that is to be admired," Sasuke said, recalling the conversation between that had been held earlier that morning with a certain blond Shugorei. To the two young shinobi, desiring to establish themselves as the strongest and with immense, near impossible dreams of one day rebuilding their broken clans, Tazuna's actions and justification were understandable at worst and yet commendable at best.

"Humph, whatever," the pink haired kunoichi snorted. "I still don't trust…."

"Neither do I, nor does Naruto or Kakashi for that matter, at least not completely," the Uchiha heir interjected lightly. "But right now we need to…."

Hearing her thoughts confirmed by her dark eyed teammate Sakura felt a small burst of pride, missing whatever Sasuke was saying after admitting that Tazuna did not hold the complete faith of Team 7.

"_Sasuke-kun agrees, so does Naruto and Kakashi-sensei," _Sakura thought with a wry smile.

"_**Justification,"**_ Inner Sakura reassured. _**"We can do what needs to be done…."**_

"Yes," the young kunoichi breathed out.

"Hmm, what was that?" Sasuke asked, not sure if Sakura had just said something or not.

"Eh?!" Sakura uttered, her head lifting up quickly as she looked over to her teammate. "I, uh…it's my turn to be on guard duty! You should rest for a little while; you've been out here all morning, Sasuke-kun!"

A little puzzled by the way Sakura had just gone from being cool and calculating to slightly gushing, Sasuke just gave a slight nod of assent. Shrugging the slightly frenetic display off as nothing more than Sakura showing her fan-girl roots, despite starting to develop into a true kunoichi, the young Uchiha simply hoped that it was a one time slip and not indicative of a full backslide. He rather liked how Sakura was throwing off the annoying traits she had held during their time at the Academy.

Watching Sakura leap up to take his former perch on the stack of I-beams Sasuke turned and began to walk towards the incomplete end of the bridge. The workers that remained were diligently preparing to install the next section, a job that would take all afternoon to complete. It was fascinating work, building the bridge section by section and slowly extending it towards the cliffs of Fire Country.

"Not too long now," Tazuna stated as he came to stand next to the young Konoha-nin. "If we're lucky we'll reach the cliffs by the end of the week."

"Hmm," Sasuke grunted in return. "And what about your workers?"

The old bridge builder seemed to let the question hang in the air for a moment before slowly replying, "They do what they need to do, just as I do what I need to do. No matter what happens I'm going to finish this bridge…even if I have to pull the last few sections into place with my teeth."

Giving a small nod of understanding Sasuke suddenly froze as he stared across at the cliffs opposite where he stood. It had only been for a moment but the young Uchiha could have sworn that he had seen a small glint from amidst the trees that sat precariously atop the wall of stone. Scrutinizing the area with his dark eyes for a few moments the boy could find nothing out of the ordinary.

"Something the matter?" Tazuna asked in a quiet voice, having caught the slight tenseness that radiated from the boy he stood next to.

Letting his eyes play over the cliffs and the woodland just beyond them Sasuke shook his head and looked away, saying, "I thought I saw something, a small flash of light up at the…."

"I've been building bridges for a long time, kid," the old bridge builder remarked, cutting the young Uchiha off. "The sun has a way of glinting off the water just right that it can cause one to see all sorts of things, like those mirages one is supposed to be able to see in the desert. It plays havoc sometimes when it comes to judging distances. This one time…when I was just starting out and not much older than you are now…well, I saw a crane operator drop a beam a full ten feet off of where it was supposed to go. He destroyed three days of work and killed two men because of that mistake. That's why we have so many guys out here measuring and rechecking the measurements, can't risk losing a section in the water or letting it drop onto the bridge and having someone get hurt or killed because of it."

"Ah," the young Uchiha responded.

Tazuna had explained to him earlier in the day that a single section weighed in at a couple tons and required both of the large cranes stationed on the bridge in order to be lifted properly into place. Watching as the men worked and prepared the metal joints that would connect the section he stood on to the section that would soon be placed Sasuke felt a certain respect for these men. They not only risked their lives by inviting Gato's wrath, but also by doing a job that was evidently very unforgiving of mistakes. Accepting what Tazuna had said as the most probable reason for the small glint of light the dark haired genin turned and began to walk away from the edge, idly wondering how bored Naruto was guarding the area around Tazuna's home.

* * *

"Geez, from the way he was looking you'd think he knew we're up here."

"You worry too much, he didn't see anything. He's just some young puke."

Sitting atop the cliffs in the underbrush of the forest that stopped mere feet before the drop-off of the stony precipice two men laid flat on their bellies. Their faces a motley of browns, greens, and black the two were barely noticeable. Lying prone beneath frayed burlap blankets that had grasses, small branches, and other pieces of local flora carefully placed amidst the rough cloth the two were masked in such a way that they looked more like mounds of dirt and plants than two people.

"I don't know…it looked like he might have been wearing a forehead protector," the first man supplied as he adjusted the small pair of binoculars he held near his eyes.

"So he might be some ninja brat, so what. They die just like everyone else, you just need to try a little harder when attacking 'em," the second man added as he adjusted the pair of binoculars that he held in his hands to take in the aspects of the incomplete bridge. "Besides, looks like we might o' hit the jackpot on this one."

"Yeah, I hate relying on the navy," the first man remarked as he slowly brought up a camera. "Those damn squids always gotta give us lip when they ferry us around."

"Well if she likes our pictures the Benihime's going to have us marching into this fight while the squidies sit around and play with themselves," the man with the binoculars stated as his partner snapped off a number of photos. "And I don't care if they got the fucking Hokage himself down there. No one's a match for the Ryoko-hime."

Being the best recon pair in the entire regiment the two soldier-scouts couldn't help but grin as they looked towards their prize. It had been sheer luck on their part that they had overheard a drunken ferryman talking about having helped to return some bridge builder to the other side of the strait to complete the massive structure that was now before them. The unlucky sot was now learning to enjoy the care of the rest of their squad, being pumped for any other bits of information.

"Alright let's go," the soldier with the camera said as he slipped the device into a bag hidden underneath his camouflage blanket.

With barely a sound the two began a backwards crawl away from the cliff and into the lush forest that surrounded them. It wasn't until they were a good hundred yards away from the cliff that the two finally stood up partially. Training and experience had taught the two not to take any chances when sneaking around and with the warm afternoon sun passing intermittently amongst the tree branches the two knew that quick, poorly thought out movements could accidentally draw the attention of even the most brain-dead civilian. Short swords at their waists and bows in hand the two recon partners carefully slunk amidst the brush as they made their way back to the rendezvous point where the rest of their squad was waiting. Mindful of their surroundings the two knew they carried something akin to gold in the information they had just discovered. Yes, the Benihime would definitely be pleased.

* * *

"Haien!"

Watching impassively Naruto witnessed as the purple ball of incinerating flame lived up to its name. The three former rapists were being consumed by the jutsu and would soon be little more than a few specks of ash. The simple Shugorei technique didn't travel quickly enough to be used in full combat, but it was excellently suited for incinerating the evidence of the bloody scene caused by the user. Feeling the sudden rush of images in his mind the Shugorei knew that the small group of Kage Bunshin he had formed had just dispersed, along with the simple barrier they had been fueling. The barrier had stood for a total of five minutes; the interrogation had only taken a total of three.

"_**A little vicious today, aren't we," **_Konoe remarked as Naruto watched the flames of his jutsu die away.

"_I did what needed to be done," _the blond silently responded mentally, letting the kunai in his fingers slide effortlessly back into the holsters on thighs. _"Letting scum like that live is just as bad as the crimes they committed."_

"_**Oh I agree with you there," **_the Zanpakuto commented. _**"However, what you did to that last one was rather…messy."**_

Leaping up to the roof of one of the buildings flanking the alleyway Naruto understood why the soul of the sword he wore on his back had trailed off. The first criminal had died relatively quickly after his neck had been broken when he had impacted head first with the wall of the alley. The second man had not gone so quickly, his spine severed by the knife stuck in between his shoulder blades the man laid on the ground unable to move, only barley able to breathe as he gazed at the corpse of the first man and listened tot eh screams of his third companion.

The third and last of the assailants that had thought Naruto, in a dressed version of his Sexy no Jutsu form, to be an easy target had paid for his and his companion's mistake in spades. Naruto had literally taken the man apart piece by piece. The Shugorei heir followed a simple formula: he would ask a question, if the man hesitated to answer or refused to answer he lost something. It had only taken the loss of both of his ears and his nose to cause the man to sing like a little bird. Weeping like a babe the thug had divulged everything he knew; which, unfortunately for him, wasn't much.

Reconfirming what little information the man took barely anytime at all. Satisfied that he had gotten everything he need from him Naruto hadn't even bothered to slit the man's throat before lighting him up with a quick Haien. Opening his mouth to scream the man had merely allowed the hungry flames to flow down his throat and consume him that much quicker. His paralyzed companion had at least had the dignity to go quietly when his own orb of purple flame had hit him, although in retrospect the man had loss the ability to speak due to the knife in his spine.

"That makes sixteen so far," Naruto idly noted as he looked out onto the poor town not far from Tazuna's home.

"_**And yet each one you interrogated told you the exact same thing,"**_ Konoe supplied calmly. _**"Gato controls all of them, but they don't get to see the man himself. He keeps space between them and him, making it difficult to find where he's at."**_

"Difficult, but not impossible," the blond genin remarked as he took off over the roof tops at an easy pace. "Eventually I'm going to find one who's higher up on the food chain. He'll lead me to the next level and the then the level after that. It may take a couple dozen, but sooner or later one of these shitbags is going to give me exactly what I need."

"_**Perhaps, but don't you think that this runs counter to the orders you were given last night?" **_the Zanpakuto questioned knowingly.

"I was told to guard the perimeter and protect Tazuna's home," Naruto responded, coming to a stop on top a building near one of the small canals that bisected the town. "I've got reinforced Kage Bunshin hidden under Henge all around the perimeter of Tazuna's home. If I need to I can use Shunpo to get back quickly, four flash steps and I can land almost directly on the first board of the dock running to the house."

"_**That may be, but I doubt your sensei would approve," **_Konoe remarked gruffly.

"We're in a tough spot. We need intelligence on what's really happening here and I am to be proactive. The best defense is a good offense," the whiskered boy noted as he looked down to see half starving people trudging up and down the street, huddled next to buildings, sleeping under pieces of cardboard, or just staring at space with empty eyes. "A man like Gato won't even care that they're gone since he can buy a dozen more without batting an eyelash. By the time he notices the loss it will already be too late. Besides taking those guys out means that they aren't coming after us…or anyone else anymore."

"_**Just be prudent enough not to get caught," **_the Oni like warrior supplied.

Hearing that last remark Naruto knew that the conversation was over. Konoe had said what he wanted to say, acting as he usually did, a sentient reminder of what Naruto already knew but sometimes chose to ignore. A part of the Shugorei heir and yet at times a separate individual Konoe was guru, conscience, and a sounding board for ideas. To an observer one would think it odd, as the Zanpakuto was supposed to be a reflection of the creator, and embodiment of whom and what the Shugorei member was. To Naruto it was rather normal.

Taking a moment to gage the lengths of the shadows created by the sun Naruto knew that it was close to mid afternoon. Giving a small curse the blond Shugorei used Shunpo to head back towards Tazuna's home. There would be no more hunting for today. Perceptive as ever, Konoe had reminded his creator that Kakashi would not be completely pleased if he should discover that the young genin had _bent_ orders.

"_Kakashi left just after waking me up for guard duty this morning and said he would be back in time for dinner,"_ the blue eyed blond silently noted as he used a third flash step to come to a stop in a swampy area just on the cusp of the perimeter he had set up earlier that morning, just as the sun had begun to peak over the horizon. _"Best to be in the area then when he returns. Now where exactly did I leave that…ah, there it is."_

* * *

The room was not the most pleasant smelling, having the pungent odor of sweat and oddly enough the smell of cabbages permeating the air. Closing the door behind him as he held several fat scrolls in his arms Haku wished the room had a window that he could open. Adding to his dour mood was the fact that he had yet to find his pet rabbit.

"_Mr. Bun-bun Fuzzy-kins…," _the long haired, almost effeminate boy silently worried as he looked to the ceiling of the room. _"Where are you?!"_

Several small lamps blazed away in the room casting odd shadows here and there. To one side the twins known as the Demon Brothers sat at a table with two lamps sitting on it. The two had taken of their clawed gauntlets, letting the heavy cylinders of metal rest on the table as the two tinkered with the inner mechanisms of the unique weapons. Looking up from their work the twins spied the boy whom they despised due to the blood that flowed in his veins.

"You took your sweet time getting back," Gouzu began to say before Meizu finished, "you little piece of trash."

"Hai, hai" Haku replied, letting his usual smile stay on his face rather than show the two that they could get to him.

Ignoring the grumbling from the pair as they retuned to their work the young shinobi turned to the other occupant of the room. Lying beneath the covers of a well sized bed Momochi Zabuza silently recuperated from the injuries that had been inflicted upon him. Moving over to the small stool that sat next to the bed Haku set the scrolls he carried onto the small nightstand.

"I've…," Haku began to say only to stop as he felt a presence outside the door to the room and heard the rusty old knob turn.

"Well, well," a small piggish looking man remarked as he tapped his cane on the stone floor. "Four whipped dogs; you got your asses handed to you. Kiri-nin are pretty pathetic. You call yourself a devil, but you're nothing but a whipped dog now."

Watching the man walk into the room Haku felt disgust well up inside his stomach. Seeing Gato walk into the room Gouzu and Meizu looked up from where they were tinkering with their gauntlets. The eyes of the twins didn't follow the small man but rather the two sword wielding bodyguards accompanying them. Rising from his stool Haku kept his head turned just enough to keep an eye on the Gato and his two cronies, easily taking note how the two men loosened their swords in their scabbards as he had risen. Off to the side both Gouzu and Meizu let their hands disappear under the table as they glared daggers at the two ronin.

"What nothing to say on your behalf?" Gato asked as he came closer to the bed where Zabuza was lying. "I expected more from the likes of you Zabuza, especially considering what I'm paying you."

Seeing the infamous Devil of Kiri lying silent with his eyes closed Gato snarled and reached towards the ninja's throat, "Why you…I'm talking to you, you little piece of…AHH!"

"Don't you dare touch Zabuza-sama with your dirty hands," Haku growled as he held Gato's wrist tightly, squeezing as he felt bones getting ready to pop.

"Yearrh, stop it you're…Ahhh!" Gato cried out as he felt his wrist pop under the pressure being exerted on it.

Hearing their boss cry out the two guards moved their hands to draw their swords only to grab nothing but air. Their brains barely registered the puzzlement before the tips of the blades were touching their throats. Standing just in between the two ronin Haku stood with their swords crossed, having moved in an instant the young shinobi tool was in a perfect position to kill them.

"You shouldn't do that," Haku snarled, his voice as cold as ice. "I'm rather pissed off right now!"

Seeing his two bodyguards held prisoner beneath their own blades Gato suddenly registered that two presences were now standing just behind him as well. Turning his head slightly the corrupt businessman saw Gouzu and Meizu, with kunai in either hand, standing between him and the bed that held their leader.

A bead of nervous sweat rolling down his fat little neck Gato protectively clasped his inured wrist and covered his fear by yelling, "Enough, but you better not fail again! If you do don't bother coming back here! I have no use for failures in my organization!"

Tossing the swords out the door Haku watched as the two bodyguards followed their piggish master out of the room. Shooting their backs with one final cold stare the young shinobi shut the door, hard.

"Haku," Momochi Zabuza spoke from where he laid in bed, his eyes opening slowly. "There was no need for you to do that."

"I know," the long haired adolescent replied watching his master sit up and reveal the sharp kunai in his hand. "However, you yourself said that it was too early to kill Gato and that if we cause a commotion the hunter-nin will be on us again."

Shifting his eyes over to look at the boy who was his tool Zabuza responded, "You're right, so I did."

Giving his master a small smile Haku watched as Gouzu and Meizu wordlessly returned to their work modifying their gauntlets.

"You brought them," Zabuza noted as he picked up one of the scrolls that had been set on the nightstand.

"Hai, I've already highlighted what we had regarding the Uchiha and the Sharingan," the dark haired boy said as he took his eat back on the stool next to the bed. "These others are everything we've got regarding Konoha and its clans."

"Good, if I'm right then we can easily identify that blond brat," the Devil of the Mist stated as he unrolled a scroll, the information within having been purchased years ago on the black market. It wasn't the best and it was far from accurate in many areas, but for a missing-nin it was better than having no idea whatsoever about opponents they were likely to face.

Sitting quietly for a moment as his master read Haku suddenly asked, "Zabuza-sama, I'm curious. What is it you suspect of that genin?"

Not bothering to remove his eyes form the scroll the former jounin of Kirigakure replied, "If I'm right then he is a rare prize indeed, a member of a clan that is supposedly extinct. If the Hyuuga girl is worth ten times her weight in gold then that boy is worth a hundred, no, a thousand times more."

Hearing the words both Gouzu and Meizu raised their heads. The two former Kiri chunin despised Advanced Bloodline Limits, but that didn't mean they despised the money that could be made by selling someone with one. The fact that the boy was worth more than a Hyuuga, a clan whose abilities were desired even by the genocidal Mizukage, well, it was easy to see the greed in their eyes.

Haku cringed as the price was listed for the blond. Though he was as Zabuza desired, a loyal tool, Haku felt uneasy whenever the buying and selling of people was mentioned. Having a bloodline limit of his own the boy had wondered a few times if he might not one day find himself being turned over for a bag of money.

"_No Zabuza-sama…Zabuza-sama wouldn't do that,"_ the boy thought as his fist tightened around the fabric of his battle kimono. _"He wouldn't…would he?"_

Shaking his head slightly to dismiss such thoughts Haku tired to speak only to stop as his master continued his explanation.

"However, if I'm right then he'll present me with an opportunity that I missed out on fourteen years ago," Zabuza remarked, "A battle against an opponent that any member of my former comrades in the Seven Swordsmen would easily sell their souls for."

Confused by this, after his master had mentioned the value the boy could have, Haku asked, "Why is that Zabuza-sama?"

"If I'm right then he is the last or one of the last of his kind," the Devil of the Mist answered, smile forming under the bandages over his mouth as he looked down to the section of the scroll that he desired. "An apprentice to the Shinigami himself…a Shugorei."

* * *

"_Do not embarrass the clan."_

Those had been the words uttered by Hyuuga Hiashi, not goodbye or good luck. No, before his eldest daughter had left on her first C-rank mission those words and those words alone had been all that he had said to her. Sitting in the room where her injured and still unconscious sensei and teammates were laying, Hyuuga Hinata had only those few words running through her head.

Kneeling next to her sensei Hinata looked down upon the bruised face of Yuuhi Kurenai. Right now more than anything the young kunoichi wished that the elder kunoichi was awake. Since being accepted as a genin underneath the Genjutsu mistress seemed to have gone out of her way to make the shy girl feel welcome and proud of having advanced out of the Academy.

"Am I an embarrassment Kurenai-sensei," Hinata asked quietly of the sleeping woman. "You all were injured fighting the enemy, but I only have a few cuts and bruises. Naruto-kun and the others are fulfilling our mission and I…I can only sit here."

Letting her small hands grip the fabric of her pants tightly Hinata tried to fight back the tears that threatened to fall down her face. She had not been awake when Kakashi had left earlier that morning nor had she been awake when Sasuke had escorted Tazuna off to where the bridge was being completed. She had been awakened mid-morning by Sakura.

"I should've been the one to go," the Byakugan eyed girl said, recalling how her pink haired friend had told her about rotating guard duty with Sasuke. "Sakura said I shouldn't push myself, but…."

Though Sakura had been pleasant enough Hinata could not shake the weird feeling she had gotten when the young Haruno had looked her in the eyes. The look given to her had almost been akin to those given to her by the Hyuuga Elders. Those old men smiled at her and would tell her nice things, but their smiles never reached their eyes and later it was not uncommon to hear them complaining to her father about her weakness and uselessness as the heiress to Clan Hyuuga.

"Sakura wouldn't be like that…would she?" Hinata asked quietly before shaking her head to dismiss such thoughts. Always a bit isolated, in part by being a Hyuuga, in part by being the clan heiress, and in part by her own shy nature, Hinata could not let herself think such things of one of the few people she called 'friend'.

Letting out a sigh the young Hyuuga heiress looked over to the window to see the late afternoon sun beginning to dip towards the horizon. She had been sitting in this room since waking; only leaving to get something small to eat and to use the bathroom. Since Sakura had left only Tsunami had stopped in to see how she and her wounded teammates were doing. Well that wasn't completely true; Tsunami's son had poked his head in once but had pulled it out immediately when Hinata had turned to look at him. Sasuke had returned from guarding Tazuna, but the Uchiha had kept to practicing out in the yard rather than come inside. The only other person that she had yet to see that day was….

"Naruto-kun…," Hinata said the name softly, her voice a mix of feelings. "Am I an embarrassment, Naruto-kun?"

As her question hung in the air Hinata suddenly heard the door to the room creak open. Looking up from her kneeling position the girl flushed slightly at seeing Hatake Kakashi standing in the doorway, having returned from his small journey. The man was not only a jounin but an elite one at that, so having not noticed his chakra signature entering the house would be understandable to most. However, melancholy as she was Hinata could not help but think that her father would be disappointed in her for being distracted and not focusing properly.

"Any changes?" Kakashi asked as he stepped into the room.

Not trusting her voice Hinata simply shook her head in the negative.

"Have you been monitoring them all day?" the jounin asked, walking over and crouching down on the opposite side of Kurenai.

"H-hai…but," Hinata tried to answer and explain as she let herself stare at the floor only to suddenly raise her head up as a light weight came to rest on her right shoulder.

"Don't worry," the Copy-nin said comfortingly, his hand placed reassuringly. "Making it this far means they should be okay."

"R-really?" the young Hyuuga girl asked.

"Yep, in fact they'll hopefully begin waking up in the next couple of days," Kakashi remarked.

Clasping her hands before her chest Hinata let out a sigh of relief. Hatake Kakashi was considered one of the best shinobi not only in Konoha but the entire Elemental Countries. If he said everything was going to be alright it would, wouldn't it?

"I think you need some time out of this room," the half masked shinobi spoke, his eye seeming to turn up a little as if he was smiling. "I just sent Sasuke off to escort Tazuna and Sakura back here, so why don't you go get Naruto for me."

"Ano…um," Hinata said lightly before nodding.

Slowly rising to her feet the timid girl walked out of the room. Heading down the stairway Hinata did not see how the comforting smile that had been under Kakashi's mask disappeared as the man's mood returned to being unreadable. Reaching into his supply pouch the Copy-nin pulled out something small and white as he looked down to Kurenai's sleeping form.

"_I wish I could let you rest longer, but right now we just don't have that luxury," _Kakashi thought quietly as he snapped the smelling salt open and moved to put it under Kurenai's nose.

* * *

The days were growing longer as spring moved closer to summer and as the sun set it cast an orange hue over the buildings of the small town that the old bridge builder and young kunoichi walked through. It was a roundabout way to get back to the house, but before Sasuke had left the bridge earlier he had suggested it on the grounds of varying the paths so as not become predictable and liable for an ambush. Sakura agreed, but less because of the ambushes and more because it put her in the position she desired. Walking slowly Sakura found her attention to be mainly focused on the person she was accompanying. Tazuna and his crew had pulled a hard day and were moving closer to completing the bridge they labored tirelessly on.

"_You lied to us old man," _the pink haired girl thought as she threw his a sidelong glance, her right hand caressing the kunai holster on her thigh. _"That has consequences."_

"_**This situation is of his making," **_Inner Sakura noted darkly. _**"He will continue to deceive us. Unless…."**_

"_Yes, we understand," _Sakura silently answered, her fingers deftly touching the ring of a kunai. _"It is up to us to…."_

Before she could finish the thought Sakura suddenly felt a light tug at the back of her dress. Eyes widening as the thought of Niimi and the perversion he would have subjected her to Sakura pulled the kunai she had been fingering and turned sharply. Whirling and bringing the kunai up in preparation to lodge it in the chest of whomever had decided to touch her Sakura's face grew pale as she caught herself and looked down at her would be victim.

Standing barefoot in the street a small girl looked up at the Konoha kunoichi. Underneath the dirt and grime that was on her face the girl's dark blue eyes held the faintest sparkle.

Looking up at Sakura with those eyes the little girl held out her hands, asking in her sweet voice, "Nee-san, please."

"_She's…," _the pink haired kunoichi noted looking at the ragged clothing that was rather baggy on the girl's thin frame.

"_**She dared to touch us," **_Inner Sakura spat with revulsion. _**"We shall punish…."**_

"_She's just a child," _Sakura thought, forcing the kunai she held in her hand to lower from where it had poised to stab into the child.

"_**She's weak, an insignificant whelp!"**_ the inner voice stated angrily. _**"Just as bad as…."**_

"_No!" _the young kunoichi argued, putting her kunai back into the holster. _"She's innocent."_

Blocking out the yell that seemed to echo in her mind Sakura gave the girl a small smile. Reaching into the small pack riding on her hip the young Haruno pulled out a few ration bars along with a few pieces of candy that she kept there.

"Here you go," Sakura said with a small smile as she placed the items into the hands of the girl.

Letting out a happy sound the little girl smiled before saying thank you and running off.

"You didn't have to do that," Tazuna said, having seen the small exchange.

"It was nothing," the kunoichi stated as she saw the little girl disappear into an alleyway. "Just a few ration bars and a piece of candy or two."

"You're wrong," the gruff bridge builder said, causing Sakura to turn and look at him. "That girl may have something to eat tonight, but you gave her something far more important then food. You just showed her kindness and gave her some hope, two things that we desperately need."

Wiping her eyes to brush away the small tears that had formed in them Sakura shook her head before asking quietly, "What happened here?"

"Gato happened," the old bridge builder remarked. "This town used to be vibrant, full of happy people, but now…."

From Tazuna's side Sakura let her eyes rove over the area. All that she could see around her was despair. The paint on most of the buildings had faded and peeled away as the stone and stucco underneath looked ready to crumble. Looking to the people around her Sakura could see how their heads hung low, they were dirty in their threadbare clothing and an innate sadness seemed to hover around them.

"Why don't they fight?" Sakura asked as they walked along, a few people looking at them as they passed by.

"They're scared," Uchiha Sasuke remarked as he dropped down from the roof a nearby building.

"Aye, they lost their courage shortly after Gato arrived," Tazuna answered, his voice taking on a pained quality for a moment. "They've given up hope, but if I can finish the bridge…. If I can just finish it then maybe, maybe their hope will return."

"_**A foolish pipedream, nothing more," **_Inner Sakura stated with a cruel laugh.

"_Shut up."_

"_**One is either weak or strong," **_the inner voice of the kunoichi continued. _**"These people are weak and the weak die. It is the way of…."**_

"_I told you to, Shut Up!"_ Sakura yelled at her other half. Not hearing anything further from her inner voice Sakura let out the small breath she had unknowingly been holding.

"Sakura, you okay?" Sasuke asked, his eyes focus on his teammate due to the way she had suddenly seemed to freeze up.

"Sasuke-kun?" the young kunoichi said, as if realizing for the first time that her dark haired teammate had arrived on the scene. "What are you doing here?"

"Kakashi got back and sent me out to escort you and Tazuna-san back," the Uchiha heir remarked with a trace of concern. "I don't know what it is exactly, but he's far from happy. We need to return quickly. Tazuna-san…."

"I understand," the old bridge builder replied, accepting the genin's authority for the moment.

Barely hearing Sasuke's explanation Sakura was still a bit lost. Letting her gaze pass over the buildings and the sad state of the people Sakura just stared, letting herself look everything over again, letting every detail imprint onto her mind.

"Sakura…," Sasuke stated, trying to get the girl's attention focused back where it needed to be. "We need to go."

"Yeah," the Haruno girl agreed slowly, taking one last look before following after her teammate and their charge.

* * *

Leaping onto a half submerged log Hyuuga Hinata let out a tired sigh. Finding Naruto was taking a bit longer than she had hoped. Having activated her Byakugan in order to find the blond boy Hinata had spied numerous Kage Bunshin, but not the real Naruto. While she might have grown used to seeing Naruto use the advanced clone technique since he showed it off to her and the rest of the small group of friends at the Academy, Hinata didn't care for it that much. Seeing Naruto in person was what she preferred, not some physical copy made of a chakra shell. Only the true Naruto caused warmth to blossom inside her, warmth that made her forget everything else but piercing blue eyes and a certain foxy smile.

Having spotted a small bit of Naruto's chakra signature in her last scan of the area Hinata hoped that she had found the blond boy at last. However, now that she stood on the spot where she had hoped to find him Hinata found nothing but swamp.

"Naruto-kun, where are you?" the young girl uttered gloomily, releasing her Byakugan.

Almost in response to her question a few bubbles popped to the surface of the swampy water next to the log. Hearing the slight pop Hinata looked down to see a few more bubbles suddenly rise to the surface. Cocking her head slightly the dark haired girl curiously stared at the rising bubbles until….

FWOOSH!

"Ahhh!" Hinata screamed falling backwards into the water.

Spluttering as she tried to stand in the three feet of swampy water Hinata looked over to see the scaly hide and toothy grin of a rather large crocodile. Eyes widening with fear the girl found her feet tangled in the roots and spongy, rotting debris that made up the bottom of the swamp. Unable to leap free the girl did what came instinctually. Drawing a kunai Hinata stabbed with all of her strength into the skull of the large reptile several times.

"Take that…and that…and one of these!" the Hyuuga heiress yelled, her eyes screwed shut in fear as the sharpened piece of metal repeatedly punctured scaly skin and scraped bone, her normal shy quietness forgotten.

Pulling back in the attempt to drive the kunai through the skull and into the brain that lay underneath Hinata suddenly felt something strong latch onto her wrist. Fearing that her hand's were now stuck in the maw of the beast Hinata let out a cry of despair before opening her eyes. However, instead of the toothy jaws of the croc the normally timid girl found her wrists being held up by a set of human hands.

"Hinata, Stop!"

"Na…Naruto-kun?" the young girl asked disbelievingly as her wrists were released.

Staring at the large reptile she had been stabbing Hinata was surprised to see Uzumaki Naruto fully emerge from underneath it.

"Wow Hinata, if I didn't know this guy was already dead then I'd be sure that you'd have killed him," the whiskered blond boy said with a light chuckle.

"Na…Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked worriedly. "B-b-but the crocodile, y-you, and then…the cr-croc…."

"Huh? Oh yeah," Naruto remarked, turning the large body of the crocodile over to reveal a slit that opened up to it's hollowed out inside. "He's just a dummy, something for me to hide beneath while keeping track of the Kage Bunshin I have scattered across the area as sentries."

"Wh-what?" Hinata was barely able to get out. Standing in the swampy water the poor girl's brain was currently trying to reboot after the terror it had just experienced, the improbable explanation, and the fact that the blond boy standing in the water with her was not wearing a shirt over his lightly tanned chest.

"Uh Hinata, you okay?" the hidden Shugorei heir inquired, waving his hand in front of the dazed girl's face.

"Na…Naruto-kun…shirtless," Hinata muttered softly before fainting dead away.

"Gah! Hinata!"

* * *

Everything seemed to be muted, she could hear voices, but her mind almost seemed to refuse to put any type of recognition to them. If there was anyway to describe what she was feeling it would be that her head had been completely surrounded by puffy cotton balls. The only thing that stopped Yuuhi Kurenai from breaking out into a panic was the instinctual ability to fall back upon the training she had as one of Konoha's best kunoichi. Slowly cracking open an eye the dark haired woman found herself lying in a room with the reds and oranges of the setting sun filtering through the window. Letting out a small string of coughs the kunoichi noted that her face felt numb and a slightly acrid scent seemed to linger in her nose.

"_Ugh, my head…how long have I been…," _the jounin began to wonder as she tried to sit up, only to feel pain shoot across her chest and up and down her left side. Cringing at the terrible ache Kurenai involuntarily let out a small, squeaking gasp.

"Easy there, easy…," a voice spoke as a pair of hands helped to ease the kunoichi into a more comfortable position.

"Who…Kakashi?" Kurenai let out in confusion as she turned her head to see that the pair of hands belonged to her fellow Konoha jounin. "How…why…what are you…? My team!"

Taking note of the crimson eyed woman's confusion and then sudden exclamation as he put away the smelling salts he had used to awaken her, Kakashi calmly tried to assure her, saying, "Its okay they're…."

"No, we…we were ambushed! Momochi Zabuza…he!" Kurenai rapidly and brokenly spoke, her eyes flicking about as she tried to push herself up to her feet. "My team…I've…I've got to save my team!"

"Easy there, your team's safe now," the Copy-nin tried to reassure, though he knew what he was saying was only partially true, especially now after what he had discovered.

Pinning her comrade with a pleading stare Kurenai asked slowly, "Where…?"

"We're at Tazuna's home. Kiba and Shino are right over there, sleeping," the grey haired ninja indicated, watching the kunoichi look over and let out a sigh of relief. "Here, drink some of this. You've been unconscious since yesterday."

Putting her lips to the proffered cup Kurenai felt the cool taste of water slowly hit her mouth. In her worry for her team the kunoichi had not realized just how thirsty she was. It took a massive amount of willpower, and a few reassuring words from Kakashi, not to gulp down the cup of water held to her lips. Her mouth no longer dry Kurenai finally felt herself falling back into the calm and collected mentality that governed her.

Letting Kurenai drink Kakashi began to explain in a calm voice, "You were injured in your fight with Zabuza. Shino and Kiba were injured by two of Zabuza's compatriots, but from the looks of things you'll all be okay."

Lifting her head a little from the cup of water Kurenai felt the small stabs of pain throughout her body and could feel the sling that held her left arm up. Trying to recall the battle she had supposedly fought Kurenai's mind suddenly clicked as she noticed the tension that radiated from Kakashi. In a moment of clarity the kunoichi realized that her male counterpart had mentioned two of her students and yet said nothing about the third.

"Hinata, what about Hinata?" Kurenai demanded quickly, worry growing in regards to the young girl she had taken under her wing.

"She's fine, a few scrapes and bruises here and there," the Copy-nin remarked carefully, catching the extra bit of concern that came from the woman. "She was keeping watch over all of you when I got back. I sent her out to get Naruto and…."

"Naruto? He's here too?" the red eyed kunoichi noted in confusion.

"He's out guarding the perimeter we set up. Sakura should be returning shortly with Tazuna from the bridge and I sent Sasuke out to meet them and escort them back here," Kakashi explained before going over the orders he had received, how Team 7 had arrived during the middle of the battle and how they had then come to be in Tazuna's home.

"Asuma was right, we weren't ready," Kurenai said downcast as Kakashi finished his explanation. "I'm so stupid!"

"No, you're not," the half masked shinobi said forcefully. "You…."

"I almost got my team, these kids, killed!" Kurenai yelled, furious at herself. "I should have listened to Asuma, but I let my pride get the better of me! You took your team out on a C-rank mission. I couldn't let my team fall behind, but look where it's gotten us! If only I had listened, if only I had…."

"Stop it!" Kakashi, his voice stern and cold, commanded. "You had no idea this was going to happen, none of us did."

"But…," the dark haired kunoichi tried to argue.

"No, what happened happened. Right now you and your team are alive, that's what counts," the Copy-nin explained, drilling the point home as best he could. "Don't start doubting yourself just because of this, trust me, I've been there and as soon as you let it those feelings will eat you alive."

"If you had been leading them it wouldn't have…," Kurenai tried to reason, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"You're wrong, if it had been my team things would still have gone wrong," the grey haired ninja said, letting out a tired sigh. "Our own C-rank went bad. I nearly lost Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto."

Hearing that Team 7 had suffered its own misfortune and nearly been wiped out Kurenai's eyes widened in shock. Her eyes widened further as Kakashi laid out the details for her. She heard how the mission had started off routine and then quickly gone to hell.

"Sasuke got lucky somehow and if I had been a minute later who knows where Sakura would be or what she would now be subject to," Kakashi said, his single visible eye looking downcast. "I really thought I'd lost Naruto when I saw that warehouse explode. If not for…well, I hate to think about that."

Watching carefully as Kakashi rose to his feet Kurenai felt a small bit of shame at how she had acted.

"I'm sorry," the injured kunoichi spoke softly. "I shouldn't have…."

"It happens," Kakashi replied, dismissing the whole episode with ease. "Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter left you a dress seeing as what you were wearing got ruined. If you want I can help you put it on. It's not like I haven't seen you…Oomph!"

"Pervert," Kurenai grumbled, wincing slightly due to her injuries, the pillow she had hit the Copy-nin with falling from the man's face.

Watching the grey haired shinobi recover with a light chuckle as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, Kurenai suddenly stated, "There's something else, isn't there, Kakashi? Something's happened, something big."

His mood immediately sobering Kakashi nodded gravely as he said, "Things are more complicated now."

* * *

"I can't believe you did that!"

"Ow! What'd I do, what'd I do?!"

"Stop squirming!"

"Ow, stop hitting me!"

Coming out of the blissful quiet of unconsciousness Hyuuga Hinata sat up slowly to find herself in the living room area of Tazuna's home. Looking about the room for a moment the young girl found that Kakashi, Sasuke, Tazuna, and Kurenai were all sitting at the table while Standing just inside the kitchen was Tsunami. Following the concerned gaze of the civilian woman Hinata spied Sakura cracking her knuckles while standing over a crouched figure, a figure that was currently clutching his blond head and the slight bruised bumps that seemed to be forming on it.

"Na…Naruto-kun!" the young girl gasped, seeing the object of her admiration and untold affection.

"Hinata-chan? Hinata-chan!" the whiskered genin suddenly exclaimed pointing over towards the Hyuuga heiress. "See Sakura-chan I told you she was okay! She just fainted earlier. You said it yourself back at the Academy, Hinata-chan has poor circulation and low blood pressure. It probably didn't help that you…."

"Na-Ru-To!" Sakura growled before driving Naruto into the floor with the force of her punch. "Baka!"

"Owww…," Naruto moaned as he rubbed at his head.

"Hinata, are you alright?" Kurenai asked turning in her chair to look at the younger kunoichi.

"Yes, I'm…sensei? Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata answered slowly, realizing that her injured sensei was not only awake but sitting at the table. "Y-you…you're…."

"Awake…yes I am," Kurenai said with a small smile.

Seeing the elder kunoichi sitting at the table Hinata let out breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Finding herself on the small couch that sat off to the side of the living room area Hinata carefully moved to sit at the table, choosing the chair that was closest to her sensei.

"Ano…Kurenai-sensei, are you…are you okay?" Hinata asked as she looked to the injured woman wearing a loose fitting sundress.

Glad that Tsunami had loaned her the old dress, as it that allowed her to move without aggravating her bandaged injuries too much, Kurenai smiled saying, "I'm a bit sore and things still hurt a bit here and there, but I'm alive and that's what counts. Now then, what about you? I wake up and come downstairs and not more then five minutes later Naruto comes rushing in carrying you unconscious on his back."

"Ano…," blushing heavily as the others in the room looked to her, well not Naruto as he was propping himself up against the wall and shaking off the small bit of dizziness in his head. Taking a steadying breath the young Hyuuga tried to explain to the best of her ability how she had gone out to find Naruto at Kakashi's behest and how she had found him, although it had been rather him who seemed to have found her. "And then Naruto-kun…well he pulled off the crocodile and…well, I don't really remember…."

Patting Hinata's hands with her free right hand Kurenai turned to look to Naruto. The blond was now sitting at the table warily eyeing Sakura, who sat next to him and kept throwing glances in his direction and then towards Hinata.

"Naruto, why were you wearing a crocodile?" Kakashi asked, voicing the question that many at the table wanted to know the answer to.

"Well I was setting up a new perimeter this morning and when I got to the nearby swamp that big guy came bursting out of the water and tried to make me into breakfast," Naruto began to explain, pointing over to where the hollowed out croc body now laid outside. "I wasn't in the mood to be eaten, but seeing as I left the house this morning before getting anything to eat…well, he became _my_ breakfast."

"You killed and ate him?" Sasuke said, he and the other Konoha-nin blinking in disbelief at the blond boy's tenacity while Tazuna let out a long peel of laughter.

"Yeah, it wasn't too bad and I saved some for you guys if you want it," the blue eyed Shugorei nonchalantly replied. "Hey, do you think it's weird that he tasted like chicken after I cooked him?"

Letting out a polite giggle at the boy's question, while her father nearly fell out of his chair because he was laughing so hard, Tsunami noted that the blond genin's compatriots were giving him an even stranger look than before. Making a mental note the woman thought that she'd take the boy up on his offer of the extra crocodile meat, she had a few recipes that her mother had handed down to her that called for it.

"Anyways, after I killed him I got to thinking about how he was really big and how I could probably fit inside him," the whiskered container of the Kyuubi no Youko continued, oblivious to the incredulous looks he was receiving. "Long story short I decided to hide within him while using my disguised Kage Bunshin sentries to relay information back to me. It worked great and everything, but I guess I surprised Hinata-chan a little bit when I surfaced to see what she wanted."

"Baka," Sakura suddenly said, slapping Naruto in the back of the head at the same time.

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?!" the Shugorei heir exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air as he turned to look at his pink haired teammate. "I don't understand you! You tossed a kunai at me on the boat, pinched the back of my thigh this morning when I woke you up, and now you keep hitting me!"

"_**A few inches up and we'd have had that cute little…," **_Inner Sakura spoke up with Sakura's mind, the young girl's face flushing as she remembered how it had been rather pleasant to be woken up by the gentle shake and whisper that Naruto had given her that morning. _**"Maybe next time we might be able to a look at his…."**_

Hearing the lurid suggestion that the voice of her most primal desires and emotions, Sakura couldn't help herself as her face became totally flushed. Catching that Naruto was looking at her, expecting some sort of answer, the pink haired kunoichi looked away quickly. However, as she did so Sakura locked eyes with Sasuke.

"_**Hmm, we still need to see what he's packing as well," **_Inner Sakura noted, making a sound akin to a hungry person smacking their lips in anticipation. _**"Ooo, even better, if we were to…compare their sizes?"**_

Eyes widening as with her nearly beet red face Sakura let out a cry and swung wildly with her arms, trying to clear thoughts she labeled as perverted from her mind. However, as she attempted to banish such thoughts the young kunoichi of Team 7 inadvertently smacked Naruto once again.

"Women, the dangerous mystery," Kakashi noted sagely, Sasuke and Tazuna nodding in agreement upon seeing the display they could only attribute to _'female' _hormones. "Perhaps I should explain to Naruto the finer points of flirting and how women…."

Suddenly feeling a murderous pressure enter the room the Copy-nin turned to find that he was being stared down by Kurenai, Sakura, and Tsunami. Fidgeting in her seat Hinata felt her face warm up before a little under a blush before her mind clicked a few things together and she turned to stare between Naruto and Sakura, her eyes narrowing in a mix of puzzlement, worry, and just a small hint of possessiveness.

"Ah…maybe I'll let him learn on his own," the grey haired jounin stated carefully, a few beads of sweat rolling off his forehead.

Turning away from her peer and making a silent vow against the little orange books he favored, Kurenai looked back to her student, finding that the young Hyuuga had her brow furrowed in worry as she looked at both Sakura and Naruto. Letting out a sigh, knowing that a major talk was going to come up sometime in the near future, Kurenai filed the mental note away in her brain as she returned to the business at hand and asked, "I'm still curious as to why you were wearing the crocodile, Naruto. Using a Henge would've worked just as well."

"Not necessarily," Kakashi interjected before his student could respond. "We know that we're going up against Momochi Zabuza and three of his subordinates, not to mention anyone else Gato has decided to hire. Most shinobi are always on the lookout for enemies that are disguised using Henge. Kiri-nin are especially talented in picking out Henge because of how they train in the mists they favor to cover their attacks, they can be acutely aware of chakra signatures when they start searching for their target. Using an actual physical disguise and suppressing your chakra instead of diverting some of it towards a Henge is something that few ninja still do. Few ninja are actively on the lookout for it, so it's a good tactic to use…especially when we aren't sure who else might be out there looking for us."

Letting his fox like grin form on his face Naruto began to puff out his chest with a bit of pride at Kakashi's words.

"However, you carried it a little too far and used it to trick your allies. While what you did was a good tactic, not letting your allies know was both risky and disrespectful." the Copy-nin reprimanded. "You're lucky that Hinata didn't drive her kunai through your skull instead of that croc's."

"Aww, Hinata-chan wouldn't do that to me, at least not on purpose," Naruto replied, feigning to be annoyed at the reprimand while suppressing the need to smirk. Kakashi was right, he had used the croc's body as camouflage against enemy and ally alike; however what the jounin didn't realize was how the deception was still continuing.

"_**Show him one thing and he won't suspect the other,"**_ Konoe commented as he echoed his creator's smug thoughts in regards to keeping the day's _extra_ activities under wraps.

Sitting in her seat Hinata pushed her fingers together slightly, part of her was a bit angry that Naruto had scared and tricked her like that, although that was tempered by the fact that he obviously hadn't meant to do so. The idea of hurting him at all, hitting him like Sakura had, seemed…well, wrong. And yet for some reason a part of Hinata not only wondered what that would feel like, but also felt slightly excited by the prospect.

Catching the odd look that Hinata suddenly seemed to give him before looking away with a blush, Naruto cocked an eyebrow in puzzlement before shrugging it off as one of those little things that made Hinata…Hinata.

"I like telling him he's an idiot as much as the next guy, but you had something you wanted to talk to us about, sensei," Sasuke spoke up coolly, enjoying the small look of annoyance that flashed across Naruto's face for an instant as it was part of the game the two friends played against one another.

"Ah," Kakashi grunted before casting his single eyed gaze around the room. "Naruto, you've still got sentries outside right?"

"Yeah, we're clear," the Shugorei boy replied, his voice loosing its playful quality and taking on a serious business tone. "I'm taking a guess here, but this is about why you don't have any ANBU with you, right?"

Letting a sad smile form underneath his mask as the blond hit the nail on the head Kakashi plainly answered, "The ANBU team we had in country isn't coming to help us. They're dead."

The room had already grown silent before the grey haired jounin had said anything, but once the words escaped his mouth that silence seemed to deepen to the point where it was almost oppressive. Letting his eye move over the faces at the table Kakashi took in the looks of stunned shock.

"Well…damn," Naruto said, being the first to actually break the silence.

"It gets worse," the Copy-nin remarked as he dropped a small piece of metal onto the table.

"That's…no, it can't be," Tazuna said slowly, recognizing the flat object despite it being partially blackened and distended.

"Ano…what, what is it?" Hinata asked.

"This is…," Tazuna tried to speak only to stop as his mouth felt as it had dried up completely.

"Otousan," Tsunami said worriedly, moving closer to her father only for the old man to wave her concern off.

With tears in his eyes the old bridge builder spoke, "This was the medallion worn by the Daimyo, an heirloom passed down for generations. How…?"

"I found it just after I found the bodies of the ANBU team," Kakashi explained, recalling the large group of crows and other scavengers that he had found feasting in the castle's overgrown garden. "There was a large pit in one of the corners of the garden. From what little remained of the corpses it seems that after being tossed in someone threw oil on them and then set them ablaze. That medallion, I found it poking out of the soil near the edge of the pit. I couldn't find anything else…I'm sorry."

Seeing the grey haired shake his head morosely Tazuna felt something deep within simply turned off. Gritting his teeth the old man felt the slight warmth of the tears that rolled down the cheeks of his face. Standing near her father Tsunami just stood in stunned silence.

The Daimyo had been one of the few points of hope left to the people of Wave. While thought him just as culpable as Gato for the plight of the country many others believed that he had simply been mislead by those he trusted. Tazuna and Tsunami counted themselves among the latter group, hoping that once the bridge was completed, once Gato's hold on the economy loosened, it would serve as the point that would not only rally the people of Wave but also make the Daimyo open his eyes to the truth.

However, sitting at the table, holding the piece of dirtied and distorted silver it was Tazuna and his daughter whose eyes were opened to the truth. The Daimyo was dead, murdered, and so too had been his family and most likely anyone in his castle who had still been loyal to him.

"That…that's it. It's over," Tazuna slowly stated, the defiance that had carried him to this point failing. "Gato…he's won. We…no, it's over."

"Bullshit!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, rising to his feet and slapping his hands down on the table. "Gato only wins if you let him! This country is _your_ country! The bridge, _your_ bridge, is a symbol… a symbol for everything the Daimyo stopped being as soon as he began turning a blind eye towards the plight of his people! You've come too far, don't quit now just because…."

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" a young voice screamed.

Eyes wide, Tazuna turned in his seat to look over with everyone else. Standing at the base of the stairway Inari grimaced, his floppy bowl hat shadowing his eyes as his small body seemed to tremble.

"You're not from around here, you don't know anything!" Inari yelled, his head down and his small hands clenching into fists. "Gato's strong. He'll kill you, all of you!"

"Inari!" Tsunami said trying to reach for her son only for the little boy to bat her hand away.

"You can't fight him! No one can!" the small boy cried out loudly. "If you try then you're just going to…!"

"To what? We're just going to die, is that it? You want us, everyone, to just rollover for Gato…let him take what he wants and hope he leaves us alone?" Naruto suddenly interjected, his voice becoming an icy, defiant cold. "Well I say fuck that. Gato isn't strong, he's a bully who lives on strength he's bought and stolen. But you go right ahead; you have your little pity party and cry about how you've had it tough and how life ain't fair. Go, go hide your face and cry…that's all that cowards like you can do anyways."

"Naruto…," Kakashi, Kurenai, Sakura, and even Hinata said almost together, trying to reproach the young genin for the harsh way he was criticizing the little boy.

"I'm not going to be quiet and I'm not going to take back what I've said," Naruto stated defiantly, reaching over his shoulder and unsheathing Konoe in a single motion. "Let Gato come, let him send his thugs, let him send Zabuza. Should they come one at a time or in droves by the hundreds, it matters not."

"You're an idiot!" Inari yelled, tears beginning to fal from his eyes as he raised his face up and stared at the blond shinobi. "What do you think you are, some sort of hero?! Heroes don't exist, they die just like everyone else and…!"

"Whatever, gaki," the Shugorei heir interrupted, his voice taking on a nonchalant manner as he sheathed Konoe. "Go cry somewhere else; I tire of your whining."

Shutting his eyes Naruto wasn't concerned with how the others in the room were suddenly looking at him.

"You…you…" Inari sputtered, his anger and embarrassment warring as he spun on his heel and ran upstairs to his room.

"Inari!" Tazuna and Tsunami exclaimed in panic seeing the small boy's reaction, Tsunami chasing up the stairs after her son.

Turning in her chair to glare daggers at the boy, Kurenai sternly demanded, "Naruto, apologize right…."

"Tch," the Shugorei heir grunted, turning and walking out the door as he ignored Kurenai.

"_Naruto,"_ Kakashi thought silently as he watched his student walk out. _"Your Shugorei pride is going to get you into real trouble one of these days."_

Almost as if he had read his sensei's thoughts Naruto turned his head slightly to look back through the doorway and lock his blue eyes with Kakashi's single black one. Breaking the stare after holding it for a half a moment the Shugorei heir continued out into the cool night air, completely at ease with himself and what he had done.

* * *

Standing in her command tent Ryoko, Crown Princess of the Fire Country, erupted into a storm of swearing as she tossed scrolls and reports everywhere.

"Un-fucking-acceptable!" the Benihime yelled. "I'll have them fucking hung for this. They'll be drawn and quartered and before they die I'll feed them their goddamned entrails!"

"Hime-sama, please," an old general begged, bringing his calloused hands up in supplication. "This was unforeseen, it couldn't be helped."

"The fuck it couldn't!" Ryoko spat violently as she spun on the general sent from the Court to advise her and send reports back to her father, the Fire Daimyo. "If I didn't know better I'd swear my mother and those damn pacifists are behind this!"

"Hime-sama, Admiral Koga and General Sado are just being cautious," the old general tried to explain, seeing the young woman's anger rolling off her in waves. "It will only delay us by sixteen days, while making sure our victory…."

"_My _victory," Ryoko emphasized, will be ruined because of those two old fucking goats. "Telling me that that they have to delay and in turn I have to delay…Bah! Those two simply want to steal my glory!"

"I…I'm sure that isn't so," the old general tried to reason. "Admiral Koga cited that a large storm front has formed just south of Tea Country. If he tried to sail from our southern port now he'd risk wrecking his fleet and…."

"I don't want excuses, I want results!" the Benihime angrily growled, pitting the old man with a fiery gaze.

Opening his mouth to argue that he was not under her command and the advisor reporting directly to her father the old general was not able to get a word out. Standing, facing the second child of the Daimyo, the old man saw that the young officers of the Benihime's personal regiment were also glaring at him as well as fingering the swords that rode on their hips. Knowing that these men and women were fiercely loyal to the Crown Princess the old general bowed his head and retreated as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Old fool, my father should have put him out to pasture years ago," Ryoko stated harshly as she turned back to the table and the map laid out on it.

"That may be, Hime-sama, however he did have a point," a well built man with salt and pepper hair and the rank insignia of a senior commander noted as he came to stand next to the princess.

"I know that Shin," the dark haired princess remarked, her anger fading. "But I don't have to like it."

"No, you don't," Shin replied, earning a chuckle from the woman he served so faithfully. "However, that is the way it is."

A large, muscular man Yatamaro Shin had been a soldier for most of his life. A commoner by birth the man only wore a single katana at his waist, unlike the noble born samurai who carried the paired swords called daisho. Having worked his way up the ranks Shin's record of impeccable martial prowess had spoken for itself and was the reason he had been hand picked over numerous officers, who all had aristocratic pedigrees and major ties to the Court, to become the second in command of the reorganized regiment of the Benihime.

"Sixteen days, it may as well be a hundred," Ryoko spat as she looked over the map showing the strait separating the Country of Fire and the Country of Wave. "Because of Koga we will be hard pressed to pacify Wave before the deadline. My mother would love it if I failed here and Konoha was able to take over this operation. She and that peace loving Sandaime will reverse everything I've worked for if that happens!"

Standing silently next to his princess Shin let her vent her frustrations. Shin did not consider himself to be a war hawk nor did he consider himself a dove, he was a soldier and as a soldier it was his duty to follow his commander. If the Crown Princess wanted a war he would do everything he could to make sure she was victorious. While he had always found it odd that mother and daughter clashed so much the senior commander did not let it sway his loyalty to the younger woman. He had witnessed Ryoko manipulate and spend most of her political capital to get approval for the invasion of Wave. Being forced to turn command over to Konoha and its Hokage would be a major political coup against the Crown Princess…and that he would not allow.

"Sir," a junior officer suddenly appeared to the senior commander's left, showing a strong salute and holding out a thin folder. "Intel received this from the reconnaissance squad closest to Wave. They thought that you would want to see it as soon as possible."

Accepting the folder and dismissing the young man with a nod Yatamaro Shin opened the folder to view its contents. Looking inside Shin felt his eyes narrow slightly as he saw several grainy photos depicting a large structure and the water it crossed over. Reading over the first page of notes that accompanied the pictures a small smile began to pull at his weathered visage.

"You're pleased about something, Shin," Ryoko stated, showing how well she knew her second as she had not even bothered to avert her eyes from the map spread out on the table.

"An interesting report from our lead scouts," Shin remarked as he laid the folder open before the princess. "I think you will find it most interesting Hime-sama."

Taking her gaze off the map for a moment to look at the open folder the officers present grew curious as the Crown Princess, the Benihime, began to laugh in delight.

"These were taken today?" Ryoko queried as she held the photos up and examined them.

"Hai Hime-sama," Shin stated punctually. "From the notes it lies only five miles above where you had planned to have the regiment cross. It also appears that it is only days away from completion."

"Excellent, excellent," the Benihime cooed. "I want our recon teams watching over it twenty-four hours a day. I want to know everything, how quickly it is being finished, how many men are working on it, what security it might have, everything."

"Of course Hime-sama," Yatamaro Shin responded dutifully, nodding to two subordinates to begin taking down the orders. "Might I also suggest having some of our combat engineers accompany the scouts? They should be able to fill in relevant details and figure out if we can complete it ourselves if need be."

"Yes, yes…of course, send the engineers," Ryoko said her eyes lighting up like those of a child receiving a present. "Fuck Koga and the fleet, we're going to march into Wave via their own damn bridge!"

* * *

Moving on instinct born from the training he had received underneath his hijiji, Shugorei Jinjiro, Naruto felt completely at ease as he brought his Konoe's tip up. Slipping forward with a practiced ease the blond genin let the sealed Zanpakuto sail in a silvery, horizontal arc. If a man the size of Zabuza had been standing in the path of the moonlit blade he would have found it cutting through right arm, just above the elbow, before slicing into his ribs and across his chest. However, if the person before the blade had been shorter, say the size of the faux hunter-nin that Zabuza was allied with, the edge of the Zanpakuto would have passed just over the shoulder to cut through the neck, easily separating head from body. Turning his body ever so slightly Naruto brought the blade back up into a high guard position before launching into a series of strikes and parries.

"You do it well," Kakashi commented, standing in one of the shadows that laid on the edge of the clearing.

"Moving with my Zanpakuto or giving you headaches?" the young Shugorei asked, completing a diagonal slash before sliding Konoe back into his scabbard.

"Both," the jounin replied, his one visible eye firmly on his blond student.

"So?"

"Tazuna's decided to complete the bridge. Kurenai objected a little but Sasuke, Sakura, even Hinata, all said that if you were staying then so were they," the Copy-nin noted as he moved out into the clearing. "Your little speech there pulled things together, but you already new that, didn't you?"

The small smirk that formed on the blond boy's face was barely visible in the pale light of the moon as he stood silently.

"Minato-sensei used to use that same trick…he won us quite a few battles with it," Kakashi continued recalling the war he had fought in when he had been barely older than the boy in front of him. "I guess he passed it down to…."

"I doubt you came out here just to trade kind words and reminisce,_ sensei_," Naruto interjected with a slight frown, annoyed not because of the reference to his sire but rather that Kakashi was delaying. "Say what you've come to say."

His eye narrowing Kakashi replied, "We're staying in Wave until Tazuna finishes the bridge. However, we're lacking on strength right now, especially with the loss of the ANBU team. Kurenai is in no condition to fight a major battle right now and because they were poisoned it would be best if we let Shino and Kiba rest and wake up on their own."

"So we're back to where we were yesterday," the blue eyed genin noted coolly.

"In a way, yes," the Copy-nin responded, crossing his arms over his chest. "However, I'm making some major changes to our strategy. Kurenai and I are going to oversee some quick training for Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata. While we do that I want you to…."

"I'm to guard Tazuna," Naruto interrupted, a hint of annoyance in his voice as he surmised what his role was.

"No, Sasuke and I are going to guard Tazuna," the half masked jounin supplied, catching the blond off guard and causing the boy to look puzzled for a moment. "I know that you and a Sasuke already know the tree climbing exercise. Kurenai is going to be teaching it to Sakura and Hinata, which shouldn't be too difficult seeing as they both have above average chakra control already. Hopefully she'll be able to help them build up their stamina and chakra reserves by making them practice it until they have it completely mastered. Now while they work on that Sasuke and I are going to work on awakening his Sharingan, something I think we can do around the worksite at the bridge seeing as there's multiple stimuli there to use."

Taking a moment to digest what he was hearing the Shugorei heir finally nodded in acceptance before asking, "So what am I going to be doing then?"

Having debated and come to the conclusion that what he was doing was the right thing Kakashi answered, "Gato has thugs running loose all around the area. I want you to hunt them down."

Hearing that he was actually being given permission to do what he had hidden earlier Naruto asked slowly, "How far am I allowed to go?"

"As far as is necessary," the jounin replied calmly. "Don't bother being subtle about it either. I want Gato to know that we're eliminating his men and obstructing his ability to assert his control."

"So basically you want me to go out there and pick a fight," the blond boy commented, folding his arms across his chest to mirror the older ninja.

Nodding Kakashi answered, "If we put pressure on Gato he's going to get nervous and that means he'll get sloppy. Whether he sends Zabuza and his crew or sends an army of thugs he'll be doing so in reaction to us. We can turn that to our advantage."

"What if I find out information on where Gato actually is or will be?" Naruto inquired, his blue eyes glinting slightly in the moonlight. "If I get the chance I could…."

"No, if you get info like that then you are to report back to me and then we'll formulate a plan around it," the grey haired jounin ordered.

"Alright," the whiskered boy agreed slowly. "Anything else?"

Hesitating for a moment Kakashi thought back to what had occurred after the blond had walked out of Tazuna's home. The old bridge builder had informed the group of Konoha-nin of certain events involving Inari and Kaiza, the man who had become a father to the young boy and hero to the local populace only to be executed publicly after he had stood up against Gato. However, that story was not his main concern, what Kurenai had said to him afterwards in private was.

The jounin kunoichi had been rather miffed regarding how Naruto had acted towards Inari and how he had walked out, ignoring everyone else afterwards. Giving him a hard look Kurenai had all but accused Kakashi of being too lenient on the blond and failing to instill the proper amount of discipline and respect that was required for a Konoha-nin. For the most part the Copy-nin had shrugged the words off, however….

"I'm giving you a great deal of autonomy on this Naruto," Kakashi remarked gravely. "Don't give me cause to regret it."

Giving a sharp nod before his face broke and displayed his fox like grin Naruto turned and began walking out of the clearing. Seeing the son of the man who had been a second father to him walking in the opposite direction of Tazuna's home Kakashi was about to yell after the boy when Naruto turned to look at him from over his shoulder.

"I'm pretty excited right now Kakashi-sensei. I think I'll get started on my assignment tonight," the Shugorei heir commented, his foxy grin allowing the moonlight to play off his white teeth. "Besides, we all know that nighttime is the best time to hunt vermin."

Giving a nod before seeing the genin disappear into the shadows of the forest Kakashi let out a light chuckle. The heir to two of the most distinguished legacies of Konoha was on the prowl. His targets wouldn't stand a chance.

* * *

**AN:** _I know many of you out there are probably wondering why it took so long, just about a full month, for me to get this chapter out. Well first it seems that I got hit by the fanfiction writing curse. Yes that's right, my laptop or rather the harddrive inside my laptop died. It took me about a week and a half (mainly because I have an older model laptop and there was some confusion as to what I required to get it running properly once again) to get a new one and then install, format, and upload onto it all of the necessary programs and all of the files that I luckily had backed up on my external harddrive. Now after that small event I had hoped to get immediately back on track, but unfortunately there were some major shakeups at my summer job. Needless to say that a few of my colleagues got fired and I got a promotion. Yay for me, right? Wrong, because now I have even more responsibilities while only getting a very minor bump in pay. Anyways, I'm now back on track as things look like they are finally settling down._

_As a bit of an apology for the lateness of this chapter I will say that the next chapter will be the first of the two chapters that will end the Wave arc. Once Wave is done there will be one, possibly two chapters before we get into the timeframe of the Chunin Exams. Also, I would like to update the notation I made at the end of the previous chapter. The hit count officially broke 100,000 and stands at 105,752 at the time of this posting while the review count is at 428 with a total of 35 reviews for the last chapter, surpassing the old chapter high of 30 reviews. It is very nice to see that many of you appreciate my work and I do rather enjoy addressing the comments and concerns you leave for me._

_**Tyrchon**_

* * *

_Shugorei Archives_

**Haien** – The 'Incinerating Flame' this Shugorei technique is aptly named. A rather simple technique there is some conjecture as whether it is based upon the Shakkahou or vice versa. When using the technique the user creates and appears to lob an orb of purple flame. Due to the low velocity of the technique and the wobbly arc it usual assumes in the air the technique is rarely used in the fast passed world of battle. However, while often not utilized in combat this technique has still found a place in the arsenal of most Shugorei. Since the flames will incinerate just about anything they touch, leaving nothing but a few specks of ash, it is almost perfect for destroying small, stationary targets. Being a low level jutsu this technique is easily learned and can be mastered to where a single one handed seal will suffice. Like other Shugorei jutsu it is rumored that elite members of the clan can create the purple orbs of flame without need for seals whatsoever.


	21. Chapter 20: Dead Heroes Part 1

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 20 – Dead Heroes (Part 1)**_

* * *

"Oh god!"

The cry hadn't come from him. He wasn't the one who was beseeching intervention from some divine entity, but as he turned to duck down an alleyway behind two other armed men he couldn't help but silently agree. It was supposed to be easy, a few peasants with pitchforks and kitchen knives. Not like this, nothing like this….

"Aaaaah!"

The sudden screech had come from behind him. Turning just a little to glance over his shoulder the thug felt his eyes widen and cold sweat run down his face. The man who had been only a few steps behind him a moment before was now lying on the ground, two kunai in his back as a figure, barely visible in the predawn mists, dropped down only a few yards away. He couldn't see who the figure was, but he easily recognized the look of terror on the prone man's face. Watching the injured man struggling to crawl, pulling desperately with his bony fingers gripping the stones, the bandit saw his comrade suddenly go rigid before violently being pulled back towards the unknown figure. It had been so quick, so sudden, and yet the fear in the man's eyes before disappearing into the misty darkness was now burned permanently into his mind. That was enough to make him turn and continue running, that look was all that was needed to spur him on, to make him think of his own life.

"_Kami help me!"_

That had been him, silently imploring. He had never thought of himself as a religious man, far from it in fact. He had never really cared to think about the divine, far more concerned with the earthly. He had grown up on the streets, a pickpocket, living for the easy score and valuing the feeling of elation that came when he felt the weight of a nice fat purse fall into his hand. Graduating to armed robbery and a position as a small time bandit had been natural. Taking the offer to come to the Country of Wave and work for Gato had been just as simple.

The government was corrupt, already deep into Gato's pocket. The people were like rabbits, numerous and easily frightened. All he and the others had to do was rough up a few holdouts, destroy a few buildings here and there, crack some heads open in order to show these people that there was a new boss in town. _"Take what you want and remember to give us a percent,"_ that was what he and the others had been told. It was supposed to be easy money. It was supposed to be a simple job.

"Somebody! Help…uuurk!"

It was sharp sound off to his right behind a dilapidated fence, a plea for life in this land of death. Knocking over a trashcan as he continued to run the bandit cursed this 'simple' job.

It had been just as advertised, the people easily frightened and anything he wanted just waiting for him to grab it. He had easily begun to amass more money than he had ever held in his entire life of thievery. What nobles seemed to be left paid him and his fellows no heed, so long as they got their 'fair share'. But that was then….

That previous morning he had awoken to the wonderful life of drinking and thieving that he and the others had grown accustom to. The locals offered no resistance, at least not anymore, so there was no need to worry. However, during the day some of their group had seemingly disappeared in the middle of broad daylight. More likely than not these 'disappeared' men were just lying drunk in some back alley, he and his fellow rouges had reasoned. The laughter and jokes had continued well into the evening and past the witching hour. Dispersing from out across the several blocks they had taken over they had slunk off in small groups to find beds or, more importantly for some, a young warm body to enjoy in one of those beds. In their groggy, drunken haze not a single one of them had guessed what was stalking them from the shadows.

"Sweet merciful gods…!"

Letting out the whimpering cry the thug backpedaled away from the narrow lane he had just been about to turn down. Falling back on his ass what he saw chilled his very bones. A lone figure stood there, sword in hand, blood dripping from the blade to join the puddle growing out from the two corpses at his feet. The thug, his mind sobered due to the fear of being hunted, didn't wait to see the blond head turn to look towards him. Scrambling to his feet and then running for his life through the twisting alleys and side streets of the small town the thug ignored the warm trickle down the inside of his legs. So great was his fear that he didn't care that he had just pissed himself.

Bursting out into the light mist that had gathered in the square, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest and his lungs burning, the thug let out a breath of relief. Gathering in the town square were a number of other bandits and thugs, men he had drank with and with whom he had taken what they wished from the local populace. There were maybe a dozen of them, many holding makeshift torches to fight back the mist shrouded night. Right here, right now this was safe…or as close as one could get he reasoned.

"Where's the rest of your group?!" one man yelled at him, his face sweaty and his knuckles white as his hands clenched around the shaft of a crude spear.

"Back…there!" he felt himself yelling in broken response, his lungs trying to take in the air that his body desperately craved as he pointed to alley he had just exited. "They're…! Who...?! What The Hell Is Going On?!"

"I don't know!" the spear wielder screamed in response, tears actually forming in the corners of his eyes as they shifted frantically about the square. "I Don't Know!"

Following the other man's eyes the thug noted a few more men stumbling out of alleys or running down the main streets towards them. His hands shaking like dry leaves in a strong wind he was barely able to pull out a pair of knives from the waistband of his pants as he joined the defensive circle that the others had formed in the center of the square. He counted roughly thirteen, wait, fourteen men now, but out of how many? He was trying to remember, but all he could picture was the shadowed figure he had just escaped.

"Not enough, not enough…," a man to his right mumbled. "Run…we need to…."

Whatever the man continued to mutter disappeared as he shifted over to a language that the one time pickpocket didn't recognize. Shifting his eyes to the right he saw that the other man had the slight olive skin tone of someone from the western lands beyond the Country of Wind. The westerner seemed to shake frantically as he folded his hands together and dropped down to his knees, his head bowed and his eyes screwed tightly shut. The man was jabbering so frantically in his own language that it was hard to even make out what he was saying. Focusing slightly the former pickpocket thought he could make out a few individual words and guessed the man to be praying. He wasn't sure what _'Diablo'_ was, but from the fearful tone with which the olive toned thug uttered it, one could surmise that it wasn't something good.

"Aaaah!"

The cry broke the bandit from his thoughts. Turning his head sharply he saw where it had originated from. Not more than fifteen yards from him another bandit laid, a kunai in the small of his back as he desperately tried to crawl towards him and the safety of the circle. Some of the others were yelling to him, trying to encourage him, hoping he would make it to them as they dared not leave the circle lest they be struck down as well. His own voice also joined in as he watched the man crawl with all of his might towards them. However, he felt his mouth suddenly go dry as his voice failed and the square fell silent except for the desperate grunts of the crawling man.

Either unaware or in just too much pain and panic to worry about why the square had gone so quiet, the crawling man didn't notice the figure stalking out of the alleyway behind him. The man seemed so desperate to escape that he probably wouldn't have noticed except the shadow cast by the figure in the misty moonlight suddenly fell over him. Freezing in place the prone man hesitantly turned to look over his shoulder before something silvery flashed past. The surprise and fear frozen on his face was apparent as his head, free from his body, rolled to a stop just in front of the circle of bandits.

"Oh god! Oh dear sweet, merciful Kami."

The quickly muttered prayer or some rendition of it escaped the lips of many of the frightened bandits. Part of it came from the fact that a few of them stood there, looking into the eyes of the severed head of one of their fellow enforcers. The other part was due to the blond haired blue-eyed boy with whisker marks on his face and the headband of Konoha tied securely across his forehead that stood over the body with sword in hand.

Uzumaki Naruto, the hidden heir to Clan Shugorei, the son of Namikaze Minato and Shugorei Kushina, was by no means the most intimidating looking person around. Standing at only four feet ten inches the young blond was rather annoyed at his lack of a significant growth spurt over the past year. That annoyance was compounded by the fact that all of his friends, with the exception of Hinata, had already broken the five foot mark. However, the fact that he was short and only twelve years of age was lost on the group of bandits. They were more concerned with the feeling of malice that rolled off the boy, as well as the multiple copies of the blond that were now appearing all over the place.

Stepping out of alleyways and streets, perching on the edge of roof tops, leaning against the sides and corners of the rundown buildings, at least fifty clones let their crystal blue eyes focus solely upon the ring of bandits they now encircled. Not a single one of the whiskered blonds bore a trace of a smile, not a single hint of triumph graced their faces, only a stern gaze and the uncaring tight line of their mouths. Standing there as the predawn was just beginning to lighten the eastern horizon, one could wonder what was more frightening to the gathered thugs: the fact that they had been hunted down, the fact that they were now surrounded, or the fact that the boy who was surrounding them wore an emotionless visage more appropriate for an agent of death than a twelve year old kid.

"Gato had forty-seven thugs here and in the vicinity of this town," Naruto remarked calmly as he focused upon those gathered in the center of the square. "I took sixteen of you during the day and another seventeen of you over the course of this evening. Of you who stand here now, I only require…."

Anger overcoming fear as the genin's words hit them one of the bandits, a man holding a battered and chipped sword, yelled back, "Fuck you! You're just some kid! Ya see that lads?! He's just some scrawny kid! I bet ya he still sucks on his momma's…!"

The man didn't get a chance to finish the insult. Suddenly letting out a startled gurgle the man dropped his sword as his hands reached desperately for his throat. Watching the bandit fall to his knees the others could easily spy the dark wetness of blood that dripped from his hands as they touched the shuriken lodged in soft flesh. Two of the small star's four points weren't visible, buried in the man's trachea. As his gurgling became more frantic he slumped sideways onto the bloody cobblestones of the square, spasms lightly racking his body.

"I only require one of you," Naruto noted, ignoring the last sounds of the man choking on his own blood. "One of you will tell me where I can find Gato and that one will get to…."

"Yaaaah!"

His fear finally breaking free and overriding the rational part of his mind the former pickpocket let out a feral scream as he charged towards the blond. His action, exacerbated by the reckless desperation to survive, was infectious. Seeing their comrade charging forward, the rest of the group, makeshift torches and weaponry in hand, followed suit. Launching themselves with a desperate fury towards the nearest blond genin they could find. It was a courageous, if ultimately worthless, final act.

Barely making it five steps the former pickpocket suddenly felt a certain degree of weightlessness overcome his body as the world seemed to slow down. As he tried to wonder what was happening time came crashing back in as pain blossomed in both of his arms and the back of his head as he bounced off the cobblestones of the square . Lying stunned the man let his head loll to the side slightly, catching in the peripheral of his blurred vision the sight of his fellow thugs bent and twisted over in the various holds executed by the whiskered blonds.

"Wishing to die on your feet…. I can respect that. Nonetheless, you're still scum."

Hearing the words the bandit shifted his head slightly to look up and see the visage of the blue-eyed Konoha-nin standing over him. Trying to push through the pain that blurred his vision the man noted that his arms and hands were twisted and bent at odd angles in the grasp of the young genin. Without a single precursor Naruto gave the man's right wrist a hard squeeze. The sound of pulverized bone grinding against itself was drowned out as the thug let out an ear piercing shriek of pain.

"Where's Gato!" the young Shugorei heir demanded, releasing the pressure he had put on the man's wrist.

"I don't know!" the thug screamed, tears falling from his eyes. "I swear to Kami! I don't…eaaarghhh!"

Forgoing the man's wrist to twist the man's entire broken left arm, Naruto snarled, "Swear To Me!"

"Eaaaggh!" the bandit screamed before letting out a whimper as the pressure was once again released slightly. "Tsu…Tsuchiro! H-h-he…he met with…!"

"Tsuchiro met with Gato?!" the whiskered Shugorei barked, letting his fingers glide up to the man's destroyed wrist once again.

"H-Hai…," the injured thug weakly stuttered fearful that more pain was about to come.

"Which one is Tsuchiro?!" Naruto demanded his eyes narrowing as they locked with the man's, the crystal blue orbs silently promising pain if the answer was not quick in coming.

"O…o-over there!" the man desperately cried. "Y-you…the shuriken!"

Shifting his eyes over to look at the bandit he had killed only moments before with a shuriken to the throat Naruto's mouth took on an odd grin.

"Him…? Really? Well…shit."

Releasing the man and climbing back up to his feet the blond boy's whiskered face took on the odd visage that confirmed he was deep in thought. Standing there for a moment the small frown shifted into a sly grin.

"Hmmm, it seems that you're telling me the truth," the Shugorei heir commented calmly, the bandit trying to nod in affirmation. "But I need to be sure." Looking around at the baker's dozen of thieves at his mercy the blond seemed to grow a little cheerful as he continued, "This seems to be a good chance for me to get some practice in."

Fearing more pain the debilitated thug let out a pitiful whimper. Hearing the sound Naruto shifted his gaze back down to the bandit as he readied himself to use the Kyogi no Tama.

"Oh, don't worry. This won't…," the whiskered genin began with a fox like grin. "Okay, so it may hurt. I haven't had a real chance to practice on people in awhile, what with how mistakes can leave you…. Well, let's just say you won't be in a position to complain afterwards…or do much else for that matter."

Eyes widening further with fear and desperation, the cry the man began to utter caught in his throat as the blond made a few handseals. The only thing the thug recognized after that was the rather compelling voice entering his mind.

* * *

"Hmm…"

Standing over one of the bandits he had hunted, cornered, and then decimated, Naruto rubbed his chin in thought. The man at his feet let out a dull moan, but seemed none the worse for wear. Dawn was breaking fully and the evening's mists were already beginning to thin and burn off.

"Better, but still not near the level it should be," the whiskered blond commented, a number of clones standing silent vigil around the square. "Damn jutsu, I need to work on my control…still have to use all the handseals and yet I still can't use it to its full potential."

Looking back over to the men he had practiced on, Naruto could easily follow his progress. The first man, the one who had led the charge and whom had consequently had both of his arms broken was by far the worst off. Lying still, the thug had blood slowly trickling out of his ears, his nose, and the corners of his eyes as they stared unblinkingly up at the lightening sky. If he had been in a hospital he would have been diagnosed as being brain-dead, just as a subsequent number of his fellows would be. In stark contrast the last man, lucky number thirteen, would awaken in a few hours time. The man would have a splitting headache, but nothing worse than the hangover caused by a full night of binge drinking.

"No leads on Gato's whereabouts, but at least I was able to get the truth from all of them," Naruto noted as he turned and walked towards where his few remaining clones were surrounding the square. "Too bad I killed that Tsuchiro guy; guess I should've knocked him out instead."

"_**Oh, ya think?!"**_ Konoe piped up, the sarcasm quite evident in his gruff voice. _**"Not every situation has to be resolved with the method of: Kill first, Kill second, Kill some more, and when everyone is dead, try and ask a few questions."**_

"_Hey, I interrogated…well, most of them,"_ the Shugorei heir remarked a little sheepishly in defense. _"Besides, the shuriken was by reflex. I thought it'd scare the rest into line."_

"**It was rather entertaining if you ask me," **the Kyuubi no Kitsune noted, the sound of lips being licked accompanying him dark voice. **"The fear and panic in their eyes…it was as sweet and delicious as a fine wine."**

"_**Well nobody asked you,"**_ the Zanpakuto responded, his voice taking on a tone of guarded warning.

"**Hmmph," **the Kyuubi seemed to snort in annoyance at being talked back to by the Zanpakuto.

His mood darkening slightly as the demonic Fox let its presence be known, Naruto shifted his focus away from the mental debate. His senses finely tuned due to being not only a shinobi but also the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko, Naruto easily picked up on the movement and slight gasps that were coming from behind him and all around the edge of the square. The townsfolk, gaunt and wide-eyed, looked like specters as they stood with the light mist around them, their clothing little more than threadbare rags. Opening the shutters on windows, stepping out from around corners and into the street to peer at the center of the square, their curiosity at the commotion that had caused them to cower for much of the night began to outweigh their fear.

On the edge of the square Naruto ignored the whispered words of these people. Shifting his eyes to the forms of the bandits and thugs who had terrorized the area the blond genin gave a single glance towards the few clones that remained around them. Sharing nods with their creator the blue-eyed blond clones all made the same single handed seal.

"Haien!"

The exclamation was followed by lobbed balls of purple fire. Ignoring the cry of the last two men he had practiced upon and the startled gasps of the townsfolk, Naruto watched the purple flames consume blood, cloth, and flesh as he felt the familiar tug of the clones puffing out of existence once again. It was a useful jutsu, Haien, even though it was impractical for combat. The jutsu was too slow and in the young Shugorei heir's opinion…incomplete. He had originally thought that if he could master the technique to the point where it only required a single seal he would be able to compensate for the low velocity by simple lobbing it directly in an opponent's face. However, some experimentation with the technique had ruled that idea out in a hurry.

Practicing it a few weeks ago Naruto had found that the ball of purple flame was not only wobbly in its trajectory but also rather volatile. Within one of the practice rooms of the hidden facility that was his home he had tried to fire the jutsu from a distance of three feet. The firing wasn't the problem, but the impact of the ball of flame with the stone training block had been. Behaving almost like a liquid, the jutsu seemed to splash as it hit the surface, part of the purple flame shooting back to him and catching the sleeve of his shirt on fire. Shucking off the garment in a hurry as the purple flame quickly began to consume it and move in on the flesh of his forearm the boy had been rather thankful that he hadn't been wearing his usual vest over the long sleeved shirt or Konoe across his back.

"_Damn thing acts like an overly full water balloon, hit something with it when you're too close and you get wet too," _the blond thought as the flames began to die away._ "Chalk up another one to things the clan should've mentioned instead of letting me almost set myself on fire once again."_

"**You would easily survive such an experience due to my ability to heal your pathetic body,"** the Kyuubi offered, speaking up with its usual tempting whisper, a hint of mirth in its voice. **"You would just be…well, you know…on fire for a while…again."**

"_Ah yes, engulfed in flames and feeling all of my soft tissue burn off and then regenerate only to be burned off again until the flames are consumed by demonic chakra," _the Shugorei heir responded, sarcasm mixing with his annoyance at the demonic interjection. _"I don't recall much of being caught in the explosion of the warehouse, but I do remember that part quite well and it is something I'd rather not experience again. Especially since one of the little side effects was me going berserk."_

"**Hmm, that was rather delightful," **noted the demonic fox with a dark chuckle.

"_Oh, shut up!" _Naruto fired back as the dark chuckle and mental presence of the fox faded.

"_**You're getting better,"**_ Konoe lightly applauded.

"_A small victory," _the whiskered genin begrudgingly noted. _"Just like most of the others."_

"_**A victory is a victory no matter where it happens or under what circumstances it occurs," **_the gruff Zanpakuto answered calmly, quoting one of the favorite statements of Shugorei Jinjiro.

Reminded of his Hijiji and what the old man had taught him Naruto took a moment to take a few steadying breathes. Konoe had begun to encourage him to begin exerting dominance and control over the Kyuubi as it was invariably linked to him just as the Zanpakuto was. However, trying to command a demon that was untold millennia old was no easy feat.

"_Small steps, wear down your foe until you are ready to take complete advantage,"_ Naruto reminded himself. _"That's what Hijiji would be telling me."_

"W-what…What have you done?!"

The bewildered cry broke the blond Shugorei from his thoughts causing him to blink several times before turning to its source. Standing only a few yards behind him Naruto spotted a man in his late forties or early fifties. The man was thin; his ragged clothing almost falling off his body and his face was covered in a mixture of stubble and grime. However, that wasn't what disturbed Naruto. No, it was that the man was staring at him with a mix of horror, disbelief, and anger.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" the man yelled, many of the other townsfolk warily looking at the young genin. "Gato…!"

"Is little more than a common crook and bully," the whiskered blond retorted calmly. "He only preys upon you because you let him."

A grimace forming on his face at being talked back to by a twelve year old boy, even though that twelve year old boy had just slaughtered twenty men and admitted doing the same to numerous others, the man exclaimed, "That's easy for you to say! You're a ninja, you can defend yourself! What happens when Gato sends more of his men?! What'll happens to us?!"

Breaking his gaze from the hysterical man Naruto let it pass over the rest of the crowd that had gathered. Every one of them had sunken eyes filled with the same fear and worry. There was no fight in them, what anger they held was overtaken by terror. If he so desired he would probably be able to scatter them with a simple yell.

"**They are nothing…little better than sheep. Destined to be used and slaughtered," **the Kyuubi whispered darkly. **"It would be so easy for you to just…."**

Giving a mental shake of his head the young Shugorei responded forcefully, _"Shut up! I am not like you!"_

Letting out a sinister laugh as its voice faded the Kyuubi left one final remark, **"As you wish, however…. I do wonder as to why you so insist upon lying to yourself."**

Tamping down his anger as he knew the Fox was simply trying to goad him Naruto turned away from the people that were staring at him. As their stares, full of doubt and fear bore into him the blond felt his anger grow. Anger that these people were so cowardly, anger that they would not only not try to save themselves but not support those who were acting on their behalf, anger that they would dare question him and his mission, and yet at the same time a small amount of guilt mixed with that anger. Though he did not want to admit it part of the whiskered boy wanted to agree with the demon he carried and that part made the rest of him feel ashamed.

Not bothering to say anything as he knew it would be pointless to do so Naruto left, disappearing with a single flash step. Looking for a moment at where the boy had stood the townsfolk eventually turned away and shuffled back to what little they had to call a life. They're heads bowed and their bodies stooped, slowly dragging their feet, told of the heavy invisible shackles they had forged for themselves.

* * *

News of the imminent invasion of the Country of Wave was finally beginning to circulate throughout the entire Country of Fire. At first it had merely started out with rumors, but these rumors had only grown stronger as troop movements towards the eastern coast became noticeable. The lid had finally popped when the numerous newspaper organizations across the country received copies of the speech that the Daimyo had given before his Court. It was the same speech of which copies had been given in advance to the Sandaime Hokage and Konoha Village Council only a few days earlier, a speech that had garnered much debate, a speech that declared and attempted to justify the coming conflict. As a whole, the Country of Fire was now holding its collective breath, waiting for whatever was now to come.

"Has there been any word? Anything at all?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose the Sandaime Hokage felt exhausted as he turned away from the window to look to those whom he had just voiced his question to. Sitting, standing, and otherwise grouped into his office were the six ANBU Division Captains and the three Elders of the council. Everyone, from his old teammates Homura and Koharu to the ever energetic Anko and the ever masked Tenzou, looked quite tired and haggard. The meeting they were having had begun yesterday afternoon with little end in sight as the lightening of the far horizon spoke of dawn. The only person who seemed to be anywhere near calm, collected, and at ease was Danzou, but even the secretive former leader of Ne was finding it hard to stifle his own yawns.

Rubbing her tired eyes Usohakkenki Takara answered slowly, "No, Hokage-sama. There hasn't been any word at all since we checked a few hours…."

'Bam!'

"Then check again!" the Hokage ordered, having just slammed his palms down on his desk. "I want to know why Kakashi's and Kurenai's teams aren't back yet. At the very least we should've gotten word from them by now!"

Rolling her head slightly in the effort to remove the crick in her neck Takara began to stand and move towards the door when she felt a hand touch her elbow lightly. Looking down, the Captain of the Counterintelligence Division met the tired eyes of Utatane Koharu. Giving a slight shake of her head the Elder indicated for the ANBU Captain to retake her seat.

"Sarutobi," Mitokado Homura, pulling his glasses off to rub where they had been resting on his nose, addressed his old friend and teammate. "This is bordering on the absurd…wasting so much time and resources on the whereabouts of two teams of genin. Keeping us up like this and away from the duties that are…."

"Don't tell me this isn't important Homura!" Sarutobi exclaimed spearing his old friend with a harsh glare. "I've got several members of the council, not to mention a few clan heads pestering me about the whereabouts of Teams 7 and 8. Haruno Kisuke is all but hammering down the doors of the tower, wanting to know where the hell his granddaughter is and I'm all but out of excuses to give him! The man is even threatening to petition the council for an independent investigation surrounding these matters in order to find out how they're being handled, who knew what and when they learned of it!

"Kisuke is just blowing smoke," Koharu calmly interjected. "He knows that these things take time. Konoha has been through such situations before."

"Well he's far from being helpful!" the old Hokage thundered, slumping down into his chair hard. "As if I don't have enough on my plate as it is. We've gotten numerous requests from vassal lords spread out all over the country, demanding to know why Konoha hasn't fully mobilized yet and wanting their province to take priority when we do."

At the Hokage's words the room grew quiet. All those present knew that many within the village were growing antsy, wishing to march out to the battlefield with or without orders to do so. To try and relieve some of that tension Tenzou had moved his ANBU Division, the Main Battle Unit, to full alert and ordered them to prepare for rapid deployment within hours notice. At the same time the tiger masked captain had privately ordered those he felt were most loyal within his division to work closely with the small squads his fellow captain, Nekoirazu Kenshin, had deployed from Internal Affairs. Right now the last thing Konoha needed was for a group of shinobi to go AWOL in search of personal glory.

"Hokage-sama," Kenshin suddenly said, breaking the moment of silence. "I know that this was raised earlier, but it may truly be best to list Teams 7 and 8 as Missing in Action. Later we can…."

"No, I'm not marking them down as MIA," Sarutobi replied sharply. "We are going to find out where they are and get them home."

Clearing his throat to draw the attention of those present Danzou spoke, "I agree with you, Hokage-sama. We all know how the MIA list is perceived."

At the scarred Elder's words a few of the ANBU Captains found themselves unconsciously nodding in agreement. The list was supposed to be for those whose status was unknown. However, far too often once a name went onto the list it rarely left. When a name did leave it was often because it was finally determined that the person had been killed in action. For many, the MIA list was synonymous with the KIA list. No one in the room had to say it, they all knew what it could mean if the names of two elite jounin and six young genin were added to the list so early in this brewing conflict. Doing so would either be detrimental to the morale of the village or cause the village to be whipped into a vengeful frenzy.

"With such in mind I believe that we must consider the merits of my own proposal," Danzou continued in his calm and collected voice.

"We have already received orders from the Daimyo," the Sandaime responded, his eyes narrowing as he stared across his desk at his old rival.

"Yes, but if you were to petition him to allow us to send in a sizeable contingent…," the scarred Elder countered. "Determining the whereabouts and status of Teams 7 and 8, not to mention the ANBU that were also in-country at the time, would be…."

"A sizeable contingent?" the Hokage snarled. "You want me to send in the nearly three quarters of the Main Battle Unit and a quarter of our regular shinobi. That's not a search and rescue team, that's an invasion force!"

"Invading Wave is the quickest way to get answers," Danzou shot back, his voice maintain its calm tone and quality.

"He has a fair point Sarutobi," Homura jumped in. "The invasion being led by Ryoko-hime has bogged down before it can even get fully underway."

"Though that is hardly her fault by any means," Koharu noted with her perpetual frown. "Storms around the coast of Tea Country are keeping Admiral Koga's fleet bottled in the Southern Port. General Sado isn't able to march in support yet because many of the provincial lords and governors are delaying the release of the different regiments from their provinces."

"Hmm, about that," Danzou commented. "Quite peculiar that those delays are occurring on the parts of the vassal lords…."

"That's what happens when one keeps invasion plans so secret," Tenzou suddenly interjected. "Many of the lords had the regiments spread out to secure sections of their provinces. Recalling them to a central point and then marching them to rendezvous with the main force takes time. Not to mention making sure they are supplied before setting them to march."

"Do not seek to lecture me, boy!" the scarred Elder retorted, his calm breaking for a moment. "I was fighting wars long before you were even a gleam in your parents' eyes."

"I seek not to lecture you, sir," Tenzou replied as politely as he could from behind his tiger mask. "All I am saying is that the secrecy surrounding this invasion has not been wholly advantageous to our side."

"It's as Tenzou says," Bunji jumped into the conversation, hoping to aid the younger captain, knowing that Danzou could not throw such accusations at him. "A blitz may require secrecy to be launched successfully, but it also requires that you have the logistics in place to support your advance. Not even having the necessary troops in place is a major tactical blunder. She can't even blame her political opponents for this mistake seeing as how the delays fall equally between the doves and hawks. No, these delays are the effect of too much secrecy on the Benihime's part."

Behind his desk the Sandaime folded his hands in front of his face as he leaned heavily in his chair. What Tenzou and Bunji both said was at least partially true, but that didn't mean political games weren't also being played. He and Madam Shijimi had cashed in some major political favors on this one, hoping to give an attempt at diplomacy one last shot. However, what truly concerned him was the fact that the delays they had instigated shouldn't have reached as far as they did. At best the delays they had gotten from dove and hawk alike should have amounted at most to two or three days. Having it snowball into being what was now predicted as nearly two weeks was rather shocking. Ryoko was an experienced commander and something of a tactical genius, she should have easily had things prepared in advanced to compensate for any delays. Yes the storms around Tea Country were unexpected, yes some of the vassal lords were delaying on purpose, but that didn't explain all of it. The chances that Ryoko had made an error were slim. That left few other possible answers. Either the conventional military forces of the Country of Fire were indeed that poorly unprepared or….

"These delays are simply one more reason why we should petition the Daimyo to let us send in a contingent," Danzou argued having recollected himself.

"The Daimyo has already issued a deadline for a handover of the operation to Konoha," Bunji countered easily.

"Indeed, pressing the issue could actually backfire," Takara added. "There are many in the Daimyo's Court who remember the attempted coup d'état several years ago. The issue of the division of power has not been forgotten. Some could see a petition by Konoha as a challenge to the Daimyo's rule."

The Sandaime silently clenched his teeth as they were all reminded of that particular point of history. He was connected to it being the Hokage and also on a personal level since his son had been part of the Twelve Guardians at the time of the attempted coup. Asuma's actions had made him very proud and had preserved the peace by avoiding a full out civil war. However, Takara was right. That incident had raised a specter that was not easily shaken off. Though he had a very friendly relationship with the Daimyo and was counted amongst his closest advisors and friends, any petition could be used by a number of political entities who were not so friendly. As much as he was worried about Kakashi, Naruto, and the others who were missing the safety and security of Konoha came first.

"We will carryout the requests the Daimyo has made of us," the old Hokage quietly commanded. "At the same time we shall ready ourselves in case things change. I want messages sent to Princess Ryoko. She may have encountered Teams 7 and 8; she may even have them with her if we're lucky. I want her to know that if she is able to aid us with this in any way, she will have my personal thanks."

"Hokage-sama," Kenshin suddenly spoke up, doing so as politely as he could even though the frown on his face clearly told what he was thinking. "With all due respect it is quite possible that Teams 7 and 8 are…."

"No, they're still alive and out there somewhere," Sarutobi remarked, moving to sit up in his chair and turn it so he was looking out his windows once again. "They're too special to die so easily."

Taking the unsaid dismissal as what it was the ANBU captains and the Elders filed out of the office. On their way out two of them, a single eye apiece, had said eyes narrowed in deep contemplation. Sometimes it wasn't what was said at these meetings, but rather what was not said that was truly important.

* * *

Despite its economic woes the Country of Wave could boast of having some of the most unspoiled natural beauty. The beaches that surrounded the archipelago nation were a combination of coarse sand and smoothed pebbles, although in some places jagged rock and sharp cliffs rose up out of the sea to support the land. Numerous salt marshes and estuaries existed and were often broken apart by the dense woodland that weaved outwards form the center of the islands. It was rather serene if one did not take note of the suffering that was occurring across the small country and for the moment that was what a certain whiskered blond was seeking.

"_Fools! Fools and cowards, the whole lot of them!"_ the young Shugorei heir mentally ranted as his latest flash step brought him to alight on the branch of a strong hardwood tree. _"I should…No! No, no…I…I need to calm down, I need to…."_

"**Why deny what you feel?"** the Kyuubi no Youko whispered with dark seduction. **"The strong despise the weak. The weak exist only to serve and then be discarded by the strong."**

Stretching out a hand to lean against the tree Naruto worked to steady his breathing as his mind raced with conflicting thoughts, _"I…they…I can't. No, it's wrong…it's…."_

"**It is only natural,"** the demon offered easily. **"You feel it, don't you? In your heart, in your soul…you feel it."**

"I…," Naruto whispered, not wishing to admit that what the Kitsune said was beginning to ring true.

"_**A man feels much within his heart and within his soul,"**_ Konoe countered, coming to the mental aid of his creator. _**"Anger and compassion, despair and hope, sadness and joy, guilt and pride…. Do not overly focus on a single one, but rather balance it equally amongst the others."**_

Letting out a tired sigh Naruto closed his eyes. Drawing in a long breath through his nose, holding it for an eight-count before releasing it slowly out his mouth, the young genin focused on his breathing. One of the meditative lessons that he had learned early on from Jinjiro was that controlling one's breathing controlled one's emotional state. Feeling the calming effect of the small exercise the young Shugorei heir blinked his eyes back open.

"Shit."

Uttering the curse Naruto strung a few others alongside it, destroying part of the calm that had settled over him. What had cracked the cool collectedness of the Shugorei heir was what his senses were suddenly telling him. He had been so unfocused when he had used Shunpo that he hadn't realized that he had gone the wrong way. Tazuna's home, and the bridge just beyond it, were in the opposite direction. It wasn't too much of a hassle to correct the mistake with an extra flash step or two, but it did add to the thorn of annoyance that he currently felt. Annoyance that was aggravated by the fact he hadn't slept in twenty-four hours and had only three hours of sleep before that.

Over the years medic-nin had drawn up sleeping charts that took into account certain variables like chakra reserve, age, physical fitness, etc. These sleeping charts detailed how much and how often a shinobi should sleep while out in the field in order to be combat effective. Having a startling amount of stamina and endurance, not only for his age but in general, Naruto knew that he was one of the few people for whom the exacting charts did not necessarily apply. However, just because he could stay awake for another day and a half and still be ready to fight didn't mean he liked doing so. No, Naruto, like many other people, enjoyed the peaceful bliss that came with regular sleep.

Stifling a yawn Naruto prepared to execute Shunpo. Ready to shoot off towards the bedroll he so desired the cerulean eyed genin stopped himself. Freezing in place the Shugorei heir pushed his senses out to their maximum. It had only been for a split second, but….

Turning sharply on the branch to look off in a direction that angled away from the town and Tazuna's home Naruto willed himself to focus. There it was…a flicker of chakra. It was faint, but it was definitely a chakra signature. He couldn't identify it, but from where it seemed to be located it was highly unlikely to be any member of the small group from Konoha. That left only a few possibilities.

"So you've decided to come out of hiding," the Shugorei heir noted with a sly grin, his annoyance disappearing as the new hunt began.

* * *

With the sun now climbing over the horizon the cool mists of the previous evening were beginning to dissipate rather quickly. Feeling the warm, golden rays as they pierced the forest canopy Haku hummed a small melody, one that his mother had often hummed. Picking another medicinal herb the fifteen year-old felt the cool droplets of dew beneath his fingers, remnants of the mist and like the small melody, something that played in his memory.

Though he had devoted his life to Momochi Zabuza, the man who had taken him in and trained him, Haku often felt his mind wander, asking itself 'what ifs'. He had loved his mother greatly, still did for that matter, and despite the fact it had been through her that he had inherited his bloodline limit Haku could not bring himself to fault her. However, he often wondered why she had died, why she had let his father kill her? Had she loved the man so much that she thought him incapable of killing her? Had she forgotten how to defend herself, how to use the gift she had passed on to her son and only child? Over the years he had come up with numerous answers to such questions, but not a single one made him content. The only thing that filled that hole was his service to his new precious person, his master, Zabuza. That and what fond memories he had of his parents were enough…or at least that's what he tried convincing himself.

'Snap!'

The sound of a twig breaking forced him from his memories as it shifted over to thoughts of Kiri hunter-nin. Turning quickly towards the sound Haku released some of his chakra in preparation to fight or flee. His light, chocolate brown eyes shifted around the clearing, seeking the source of the sudden sound. Reaching to the obi around his waste and the senbon hidden beneath it Haku stopped himself. Popping out from behind a bush came a small, reddish-orange fox with dark brown markings on the tips of its feet, ears, and tail. Watching the small creature glance in his direction before disappearing into the bushes once again, Haku let out a sigh and relaxed the tension in his muscles.

Letting himself think about the fox for a moment the long haired teen suddenly frowned and muttered, "You better not have eaten Mr. Bun-bun Fuzzy-kins."

He had two reasons venturing out from the relative safety of the hideout provided to them by Gato. The first was to collect medicinal herbs that grew in the area. The second was to take some serious time to search for his lost pet. The white rabbit had been missing for a couple of days now, much to the young bloodline user's despair, and as he had predicted Meizu and Gouzu were no real help in searching.

"Once I finish here I'll find Mr. Bun-bun Fuzzy-kins, then he'll be safe with me once again," Haku promised with a whisper, turning back to his half filled basket of herbs.

He was a fair medic-nin, knowing a few medical jutsu and supplementing them with the different herbal medicines he had picked up as they traveled. Picking another herb, careful to pull it close to the ground so as not to ruin it, Haku let a small smile grace his face. Zabuza had always complimented him on his skill at healing. The former Kiri jounin, for all his rough edges and dangerous tendencies, freely admitted that if not for his tool's ability to patch people up quickly their little group would have probably failed long ago.

Letting his smile grow Haku felt a touch of pride right before feeling the light touch of razor-sharp steel rest against the side of his neck.

"Gotcha," Uzumaki/Shugorei Naruto stated deviously, the end of his Zanpakuto resting lightly against the neck of his prey.

Trying to fight down the panic blossoming in his chest Haku shifted his eyes to catch a glimpse of bright blond hair. That small glimpse and the chakra signature told him it was the blond Konoha-nin he had encountered only a few days before.

"_It can't…how, how did he…?" _Haku thought rapidly, unaccustomed at being taken by surprise and shifting his hands ever so slightly towards….

"Unh uh, keep those hands right where I can see them," Naruto stated sharply, his keen eyes catching the subtle movement. "You know, for someone who did an excellent job posing as a hunter-nin, I'm a bit disappointed at catching you so easily. I was kind of expecting a bit more."

"H-hunter…? I…I'm not a hunter," the long haired boy stuttered, opting to try and bluff his way to a better position. "I…I'm an herbalist, I live in the town not far from here and…."

"Bullshit!" the Shugorei heir interjected sharply. "You may be collecting herbs but you ain't from around here, you're clothes are too nice and you're too well fed. Gato's thugs would be lining up around the block to take turns fucking a pretty girl like you if you truly were living in that town. Oh, and there's also that chakra signature of yours…too big to be a civilian's despite hiding it well."

Biting the inside of his cheek Haku, for one of the few times in his life, silently swore. Partially it was because he had stupidly released some of his chakra due to that fox, not thinking afterwards that it could alert any shinobi who might be in the area. The other part was because he had, once again, been mistaken for a girl.

"_Okay, stupid move, trying to bluff about being from nearby," _Haku noted silently in his pink, sleeveless yukata, his annoyance turning into anger. _"But why does everyone always think I'm female. I'm a boy damn it! Just because I like to keep my hair long and luscious and my skin healthy and smooth! And my clothes are just fine thank you very much!"_

"I want to know where Gato and Zabuza are," Naruto demanded coolly, ignorant of the angry rant that was building within his captive. "Now we can either do this the easy way or…."

"You won't harm Zabuza-sama," Haku spat coldly, suddenly rolling to the side and away from the blade that had been poised to cut his head off.

Naruto was surprised by the sudden reaction. He hadn't expected his captive to actually roll away and risk him cutting her head off before she could execute the maneuver. Blinking for a moment as he watched the pink yukata wearing shinobi come out of the roll and into a crouch he barely caught the small flash of silver in the sunlight. Bringing Konoe up quickly Naruto smirked as he easily blocked the three senbon that had just been thrown at him. However, that smirk died as he suddenly felt pain erupt in his back.

Letting out a growl of pain as he fell to a knee the young Shugorei reached back with his left hand. Groping at the site of the pain the blond genin's eyes widened as he felt something long, thin, and pointed. His mind reeling, trying to figure out how the senbon had hit him in the back Naruto tried to grasp hold of one of the needles that were thin enough to pass through the ringlets of the chain mail hidden in the vest he wore. His fingers finally able to take hold of one of the senbon the boy's eyes widened in puzzlement as he noted that the weapon felt…cold?

"Eaarggh!"

Hearing the sudden yell Naruto caught sight of his opponent throwing several more senbon at him. Not taking a chance by blocking them this time the Shugorei heir executed a sideways roll similar to the maneuver his opponent had used earlier. Coming up out of the roll the cerulean eyed genin was somewhat shocked to see that the girl had somehow gotten almost directly in front of him. Catching the wrist of his opponent Naruto gave it a twist and a pull, dipping his shoulder before slamming it into the gut of the girl and then flipping her over his back. Not waiting to give her another chance the young Shugorei pushed off from his crouch, pivoting sharply on his left foot as he spun his Zanpakuto in his hand so as to reverse his grip. With Konoe's tip pointing straight down Naruto plunged the long blade as if it were a dagger deep into the right side of the prone girl's back.

'Sploosh!'

His eyes widening in surprise once again Naruto could hardly believe it as his opponent suddenly collapsed into a puddle of water. The realization that it was a Mizu Bunshin came at the same time he felt three senbon dig sharply into his left shoulder. Feeling the needles shift in the muscle as he tried to turn towards where they had originated, Naruto let out a dull grunt.

"I won't let you near Zabuza-sama!" Haku furiously yelled, grasping several senbon in his fists as he charged toward Naruto.

Twisting his face into a snarl Naruto bulled past the pain in his shoulder to point and shout.

"Byakurai!"

Unfortunately for the blond, due to the pain and the way the needles pushed into the muscle of his shoulder the jutsu failed to strike as intended. While the lance of white light and electricity shot forward it didn't pierce the chest of the faux hunter-nin. Burning a hole through the side of the pink yukata the technique seared the soft flesh just over the long haired shinobi's right hip. While it wasn't the killing or crippling shot Naruto had wanted it did cause his opponent to let out a startled scream of pain.

Feeling the scorching burn in his side Haku fought hard not to stumble and crash into the ground. Gritting his teeth the boy pushed forward as hard as he could, thrusting it the senbon that he gripped in his right hand while aiming for the blond genin's left eye. However, instead of a pained scream the squeal of metal on metal met his ears as his initial thrust was parried by the genin's sword. Turning with the momentum of the parry Haku slashed with the pointed tips of the senbon as Naruto moved, cutting an uneven line across the other boy's right cheek and nose. Seeing the Konoha-nin reel back from the strike Haku began to grin only to suddenly feel the wind get knocked out of him as the blue-eyed blond kicked him square in the chest. Taking a few steps back and dropping to a knee to steady himself the young bloodline user wheezed trying to get air back into his lungs. He had an advantage if he could get inside the blond genin' guard. The sword was not ideal to stop his quick, up close strikes with the senbon. Seeing a key to victory the teen did not get a chance to apply it as he suddenly found his opponent almost right on top of him.

Seeing an opportunity, Naruto had used a quick Shunpo to get straight in the face of his opponent. Watching the surprise blossom in her eyes the whiskered Shugorei, Konoe held tightly in his right hand, slashed downwards intending to lodge the sharpened steel of his soul in-between the eyes of the girl. Yet instead of the edge of the blade passing through hair, flesh, and skull it was caught between senbon held up in either hand in a crude scissors block.

"You're pretty good," Naruto commented with a grunt, pushing hard with his one arm as he saw the thin needles chipping and cracking under the pressure. "A far better opponent than all those thugs I decimated."

Brown eyes staring firmly back at blue, only a grunt escaped the fifteen year old. While he took the words as the compliment they were intended to be Haku was far more concerned with trying to keep the blade from inching closer to his skull.

"I take back what I said earlier," the Shugorei heir said with a small grin. "I'm impressed; I didn't think anyone near my age, let alone one who was a kunoichi, could…Unnnh!"

Naruto's head snapped backwards, a foot slamming straight into the bottom of his jaw, as Haku's right leg flew up in a vertical snap kick. His head ringing from the unexpected strike Naruto took oa few steps backwards only to suddenly feel a new pain blossom. Blue eyes shifting to look downwards the Shugorei heir found that senbon had deeply pierced both of his knees. Flopping over to the right, Naruto found his legs locked as the thin needles wouldn't allow his kneecaps to shift and move properly. Instinctively tightening his grip around Konoe, as the Zanpakuto's tip was shoved roughly into the ground, the blond genin tried to keep at least partially upright. Letting out a pained grunt Naruto spat, blood and chips of cracked teeth exiting his mouth.

"Oh by the way…I'm a boy."

Hearing the sudden statement Naruto looked up in disbelief to meet the cold glare being given to him by the person he had assumed to be female. If he hadn't been feeling so much pain the young Shugorei might have decided to indulge the small thread of incredulous perplexity that came from hearing the short clarification. As it was, both the pain and puzzlement were shoved aside as the cerulean eyed genin caught sight of what his foe was doing.

Flashing through several single handed seals, the pink yukata wearing boy suddenly exclaimed, "Sensatsu Suishou!"

As bidden thousands needles of water sudden formed in the surrounding air. Pulled and congealed from the water vapor in the mist and the small drops of dew on the grass and surrounding plants the needles seemed to hover for a moment. As if waiting for….

"Hyoketsu!" Haku suddenly exclaimed, the water needles obeying his command and freezing instantly before shooting in towards their target.

Watching the shards of ice he had created streak forward Haku read the look of horror in the blue eyes of his opponent. Waiting for the frigid projectiles to pierce their target the fifteen year suddenly felt as if time seemed to slow down. Finding it difficult to breathe, as the air seemed to grow heavier, the young ice user watched the blue eyes of the whiskered blond suddenly turn a primal, bloody red.

"Rrrrraaahhh!"

The long cry spoke of feral rage as Naruto felt the chakra of the Kyuubi no Youko course through him. The demonic energy had already been trickling into his system, seeking to repair his broken jaw and teeth, when the young jinchuuriki decided to grasp and pull more of it out. With the proverbial floodgate partially opened the power of the Kitsune pushed out in a wave from the boy's body, obliterating the shards of ice that were only mere inches away from finding purchase in cloth and the soft flesh that lay underneath.

Bracing himself as the wave washed over and pushed past him Haku could barely find the words to describe it. The scroll he had studied with his master had hinted at the secret powers of Clan Shugorei, but it had been vague and rather incomplete when it came to many details. Their power was supposed to come from the swords they carried, but this…this seemed to come from deep within the blond genin. It was a terrible power, dark and ancient; a far cry from what he had sensed from the boy previously. Did this mean that the Konoha-nin wasn't what they had thought? Could he be something…worse?

His attention focused completely on the red eyed genin Haku stared with a disturbed sense of awe. The grunts and growls were animalistic, but that wasn't what was so troubling. No, it was the fact that the senbon in the boy's back, shoulder, and knees were being forced out. Watching the needles pop free of the flesh they had pierced Haku brought his right hand up in the single seal needed for Shunshin. His faith and loyalty to Zabuza demanded that he report this, this…whatever this power was.

"Rrrrgh!"

Letting out a snarl through his clenched teeth Naruto easily saw his foe disappear in a swirl of mist. While part of him seemed to scream at him to give chase the young Shugorei was far more concerned with pushing back the raw demonic chakra that was attempting to flood his system completely. Eyes tightly shut Naruto focused completely on summoning up his own chakra to push back that of the Kyuubi no Kitsune's. Flopping over onto his back, panting heavily as he laid there, the young jinchuuriki finally felt the rush of energy return to the minor trickle it had been before.

"Bastard got away."

"_**Yes, but your control is getting better," **_the gruff voice of Konoe commented.

Letting his head loll over to the side Naruto opened his eyes, revealing them to once again be their normal deep, crystalline blue.

"I don't like losing," the whiskered blond noted, his breathing steadying as he moved to sit up. "A draw ain't much better."

"_**There will be other times,"**_ the Zanpakuto replied.

"Oh, I'm counting on that," the Shugorei heir remarked, climbing to his feet and pulling the sword out from where it had been stuck in the ground.

Noting his creator's annoyance, Konoe added, _**"Look on the bright side."**_

"Hmm?" Naruto hummed inquisitively, his annoyance and anger at being beaten simmering, as paused from cleaning off the few particles of dirt that clung to the blade.

"_**At least you now know you didn't get beaten by a girl."**_

* * *

"Unacceptable! This is completely unacceptable!"

Red faced with his left forearm in a cast due to his dislocated wrist the crime boss styled businessman let his displeasure be known. Adding emphasis to his ranting Gato slashed the air with the cane he held in his right hand. A few steps behind him his sword carrying bodyguards watched with a palpable nervousness. It wasn't their employer that made them so but rather the man who was the target for the piggish man's anger.

Sitting silently as the short businessman swore and complained Momochi Zabuza had to tamp down the desire to simply reach forward and choke the life from him. He was well aware of the situation; Haku had returned several hours ago and dutifully reported it. It seemed that Hatake Kakashi was not merely content waiting to be attacked. Making it even more interesting was that it seemed the infamous Copy-nin had only sent out one of his subordinates to do the job, the blond one who had stopped him from taking the Hyuuga girl.

"_That boy…. Haku reported that he possessed some sort of dark power that manifested itself as crimson chakra," _the former jounin silently recalled. _"Could that be his power as a Shugorei? Was he preparing to let loose his sword, his soul slayer?"_

His annoyance growing Zabuza found that he couldn't answer that question. Information on the Shugorei themselves was hard to come by as is. The scrolls he had on noteworthy clans were secondhand, purchased on the black market. Some of the information was factual, but far more was based upon rumor and legend. He could sort most of the myth out form the facts due to his time spent as a member of Kirigakure's elite Seven Swordsmen. The Shugorei and the swords they wielded had been of great interest to the elite weapon users of the Hidden Mist. Especially since facing a Shugorei in battle and surviving was something only a select few of their number had ever done throughout the entire history of the Swordsmen, going so far back as to when Kirigakure and the other Hidden Villages were merely loose coalitions of roving shinobi and venal clans.

"_I will not be denied this chance,"_ the Devil of the Mist silently promised before focusing back onto the man who was still continuing to rant at him.

"I told you I wouldn't accept another failure!" Gato screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.

"The fault lies not with us, but with those pathetic weaklings you use to terrorize the locals," Momochi Zabuza coldly retorted with a certain lack of sympathy. "You hired them and put your trust in quantity rather than quality, so really the fault is yours. Not ours."

"Why you little," Gato growled, raising his cane as if to strike the seated missing-nin.

"Zabuza-sama…."

Hearing the soft voice Gato immediately froze. Shifting his eyes to his left the man felt his mouth go dry as Haku, followed by the two Demon Brothers, stepped out of the shadows.

"I found this wonderful assortment of fruit," the long haired teen said with a sweet smile, his yukata from earlier replaced with his usual battle kimono. "You should have some."

Smirking underneath the bandages that covered the lower half of his face Zabuza watched his faithful tool walk over to set the bowl on the small end table next to him. It would be another day or so before he was fully recovered, but the mind of the Devil of the Mist was still as sharp as ever. One could hardly miss how Gato was trembling as Haku gave the short man an innocent looking smile.

"_You've learned well from me, Haku," _the former member of the Bloody Mist's elite Seven Swordsmen thought as he plucked a bright red apple from the bowl.

"Y-ya…you," Gato stuttered in a mix of fear and anger.

"Oh? Gato-san, I'm sorry, would you like some fruit as well?" Haku inquired, his sweet innocence far scarier than any threat he could have made at that point.

Fumbling to recompose himself the short criminal leader tried to do his best to ignore the teen. However, as he turned his attention back to the man sitting on the couch it was apparent to everyone in the room that he was still quite shaken.

"Tazuna was an annoyance beforehand, but now…now he's the proverbial thorn in my side!" Gato spat angrily. "Forty-seven, the Konoha-nin he hired took out forty-seven of my men!"

Opening his mouth to correct the man, Haku refrained from speaking as he caught the subtle shake of his master's head. For whatever reason, it seemed that Zabuza did not want the knowledge that it was only a single shinobi, a boy of twelve no less, who had carried out the task.

"Forty-seven bandits, dregs of society you enticed with the prospect of easy money. It's hardly surprising that they were no match for trained shinobi," Zabuza noted, tossing the apple in his right hand up and down slowly.

"Then get out there and do what I'm paying you to do!" the piggish businessman shouted.

"Oh I plan to," the Devil of the Mist replied, catching the apple and then crushing it easily in his hand. "I took the first group; soon I'll take the second."

Watching the juice and chunks of apple fall from his master's fist Haku unknowingly replaced his smile with a frown. The confidence and excitement being felt by Zabuza and even Gouzu and Meizu was lost on him. All that the young ice user could think of in that moment was a set of cold blue eyes turning a fiery blood red and the simple description his master had given only a day prior.

"_Shugorei…apprentices to Death himself."_

* * *

"Keep your guard up Hinata!"

"Damn it all! Don't let such openings go to waste Sakura, capitalize on them!"

Biting her tongue in annoyance as her commands barely seemed to register Yuuhi Kurenai let out a frustrated sigh. Sitting on a fallen log the dark haired jounin watched the two young kunoichi that had been put in her charge. The two girls were sparring and doing a pretty poor job at it as they paused to cling to the trunks of the trees they were perched on. Sucking in air, both of their faces flushed red as sweat trickled down their brows, Hinata and Sakura eyed each other through bleary vision.

Sakura broke the small hiatus, pushing off her tree to shoot forward like a human missile. Pulling her right fist back the pink haired kunoichi prepared to throw a devastating haymaker or that was at least her intent. Though her body was just as tired and sore as her friend's Hinata brought left forearm up to block the scything blow. Wrapping her hands around the pink girl's outstretched arm Hinata pivoted upon the branch she stood, intending to throw the other girl. Not wishing to be thrown Sakura intertwined her legs with the Hyuuga heiress's before stamping her feet down. Trying to brace herself by using chakra to stick to the tree limb while Hinata did the same, only with the intent of gaining better purchase and leverage with which to throw, Sakura suddenly heard an abrupt cracking sound. Catching the sound as well Hinata's pearly eyes widened as the two girls suddenly found themselves the victims of gravity.

"Eeeyyaaaah!"

Letting out startled cries both of the young kunoichi found themselves falling the full ten feet to the forest floor. Landing with a solid 'oomph' the two girls lay stunned for a few moments, rubbing carefully at their backsides.

"Itai…."

Seeing both of her training charges down and cringing at sore buttocks and numb tailbones, Kurenai commanded tiredly, "Alright take a break."

Hearing the order both girls simply slumped backwards in exhaustion, choosing to lay on the ground where they had fallen rather than getting up to walk over to where their sensei sat. This was only the afternoon of the second day of training for them since the meeting held around Tazuna's table. Being told that they would be training had not seemed like such a bad thing at the time. Kurenai, however, while injured had proven to be an incredibly strict instructor. If there was one thing the woman detested it was the idea that kunoichi were inferior to their male counterparts and her training for the two girls reflected her goal to not only disprove that concept but destroy it entirely.

The first day had begun with a demonstration of how to use chakra in one's feet to stick to and then climb a tree without the use of hands or tools. It had seemed easy enough and had proven to be just so due to the above average chakra control that the young Hyuuga and young Haruno possessed. Running up a tree and coming to rest on a thick branch nearly twenty feet off the ground both girls had felt a sense of pride. That pride had turned to a sick worry when Kurenai had then commanded them to _walk_ down the tree instead of leaping from branch to branch in order to make it to the forest floor.

It had been a somewhat hilarious sight to see Hinata and Sakura begin to tentatively step and inch their way down the trunks of the trees they were using. Every few inches or so one of them would falter and suddenly, desperately cling to the trunk upside down like a rather large squirrel. Their hearts racing when they finally made it to the ground Kurenai had then explained to them that they would need to _walk_ up and down the _entire_ length of the tree trunks twenty more times before they would be allowed to move onto the next bit of training. The wide eyes of the two young kunoichi had heralded the bumps and bruises they soon gathered as their rather small chakra reserves were pushed to the limit and beyond. It had taken all day and well into the evening before the two finally made their last trip up and down the side of the tree. Needless to say the two had slept like rocks that night.

This day had begun in a rather similar fashion with the two being told that they had until noon to walk up and down the entire length of the tree trunk twenty times. By the time noon came around both Sakura and Hinata were panting heavily with exhaustion and yet neither were even close to fifteen, let alone the goal of twenty. Kurenai had let her disappointment at them be known by only allowing them a quick lunch before launching into this new afternoon session.

"Easy there Hinata, the canteen ain't going anywhere," Inuzuka Kiba commented, Akamaru and a pair of homemade crutches by his side as the young Hyuuga girl sucked down the contents of the canteen he had brought over to her. Only a inches away Aburame Shino sat with Sakura, watching intently as the pink haired girl drank her own canteen dry.

Looking to her two male students Kurenai breathed out a silent prayer of thanks to whatever deity cared to be listening. Both boys had suffered several deep gashes and severe poisoning at the hands of the two former Kiri-nin called the Demon Brothers. Thankfully Kakashi had been carrying a curative that had counteracted the poison for the most part.

Shino had woken up the morning of the first day of training while Kiba had taken a little longer, most likely due to the fact that he did not have a hive of Kikaichuu living in his body as his peer did. The young Inuzuka had awakened earlier this morning. Although both boys were up and walking around neither one was even close to being ready to fight again, let alone train. The poison had done quite the number upon the two, leaving them rather weakened and easily tired. Shino had been his usual collected self, accepting his current limitations and agreeing to not push himself too hard too fast. Kiba, being Kiba, had tried to shake it all off with his usual boisterous manner. That had ended rather abruptly when he had gotten up from a chair too quickly, stumbled around for a few moments, and finally crashed over on his side having sprained his left ankle in the process. Under fairer circumstances it probably would have been rather comical. As it now stood the two were doing what they could to assist their sensei, their friends, and even Tsunami, although the dark haired young mother had been rather hesitant to accept Shino's help in cleaning her kitchen and had nearly screamed her head off when she had found Kiba cleaning dishes by having Akamaru lick off any culinary remains.

"_Well the Kikaichuu can be…disconcerting. Especially to anyone who hasn't spent a good amount of time around an Aburame before," _Kurenai thought with a slight shiver, recalling Tsunami's shaky look and her own first time experience working with a member of the bug using clan. Recalling the incident with Kiba, the reason why he was now out here with her rather than inside, Kurenai made a mental note on something else she had to speak with Tsume about. _"I don't care what Kiba says, his mother most assuredly doesn't have him and Akamaru clean dishes in such a manner back home."_

"A pittance for your thoughts, Kurenai-_sensei_?"

Hearing the sudden question voiced from behind her Kurenai jumped slightly at the sudden intrusion. Turning her head slightly towards the now recognizable presence the jounin kunoichi spied Uzumaki Naruto sitting on the ground only inches to her right, his back resting against the log she was currently seated upon. Frowning at the certain air of ease that surrounded the boy, Kurenai was reminded all too much of the whiskered genin's sensei. Like Kakashi the young blond seemed to possess the ability to simply pop in out of nowhere, as if he had actually been there the entire time. It was quite the annoying trait.

Silently berating herself over the fact that she had missed the blond boy's approach and presence up until he had spoken Kurenai forced a small smile and asked, "And just how long have you been sitting there?"

"Long enough to see Sakura and Hinata take that little tumble," the whiskered Shugorei commented, putting his hands behind his head as he leaned back some more. "No new thugs in the area to deal with anyways."

Seeing the slight shrug from the boy Kurenai let her fake smile fall away to reveal the frown representing her true feelings. Kakashi had been out practicing with Sasuke while the pair guarded Tazuna when Naruto had shown up yesterday morning. She had been at the stilted house, having gotten word of Shino's awakening, when the blond had arrived. She had already known what assignment the boy had been given and thoroughly disapproved. Seeing him return with hardly a scratch had made her think he had somehow gotten the good sense to come back and ask for assistance before attempting what would be considered suicidal for a genin almost fresh from the Academy. However, the cold look of concern that had been in the blond genin's eyes before he was informed that Kakashi had already left had told her that it was something else. She had demanded to know what that something was.

Although she was injured and unable to use much of her shinobi prowess Kurenai was still a jounin. When Naruto had tried to brush her off, similarly to how he had done the night before, she had put her foot down or rather she had put her left foot across the young blond's face in a swiftly executed outside crescent kick. Catching the whiskered genin by surprise and knocking him onto his ass had amazingly not brought on a major fight, tantrum, or pouting session. Instead it had actually caused the boy to explain to her what had happened after he'd been given the assignment. To say it made her feel uneasy was a gross understatement.

Looking over to where the two girls were resting, worry crossing her face, Kurenai spoke slowly, "Uzumaki…."

"You don't like me that much," the whiskered blond commented unexpectedly, catching the sharp intake of breath that Kurenai suddenly took as the words left his mouth. Dropping his voice to barely a whisper the boy continued, "To carry such bigoted shortsightedness out onto a mission. I'm not sure whether I should pity you or be disgusted by…."

Hearing the implication from the young jinchuuriki Kurenai whispered sharply, "It's not like that."

"Do you think me a fool?" Naruto shot back, his voice beginning to rise though it was still low enough as to remain between him and the jounin kunoichi. "I've gained a keen awareness of how others perceive me. Lying only makes you look stupider in my…."

"You're wrong, I have never thought of you as what you carry," the woman interjected quickly, turning her head to pin the boy with her red eyes. "For the longest time all I knew about you was what I had heard from others."

"That hardly gives me comfort," the boy snidely noted.

"It should, seeing as how the one whose words I place the most faith in is the Sandaime," Kurenai retorted brusquely, before catching herself and taking a moment to let her face and voice soften. "I trust him and believe what he has said, that you are a child that was put into extraordinary circumstances and saved us all as a result. Shino, Kiba, and Hinata supplied everything else I needed to know. I may have never gotten the chance to meet or speak with you before this mission, but they have faith in you and count you as their dear friend. To inspire such feelings is quite commendable and is something I respect."

Turning his head to look directly at the woman, Naruto remained silent. The look of puzzlement that was on his face spurred Kurenai to explain more.

"What I disapprove of is your mixture of arrogance, disregard for authority, and brashness, not to mention that Kakashi tends to look the other way in regards to it," the dark hired jounin said sternly.

"Hmmph," the young genin grunted.

"And there it is again," Kurenai noted firmly. "Kakashi was wrong. He shouldn't have sent you on that assignment."

Letting a low growl emanate from his throat Naruto challenged, "I got the job done. That group of scum won't ever torment the town or anyone else ever again."

"That may be true, but at what cost did such a victory come?" the dark haired kunoichi interrupted. "You are still only a boy of twelve…you shouldn't have had to do such a thing."

"They aren't the first ones I've killed," the Shugorei heir remarked slowly, "and they certainly won't be the last."

Hearing the conviction in the boy's words Kurenai cringed. Despite all the rules, despite the codes that governed her as a shinobi, things that had been drilled into her since entering the Academy, she couldn't bring herself to believe whole heartedly that a shinobi had to disregard all of their emotions. To her, doing so was what had caused numerous tragedies as those who carried them out had ultimately severed their connections to their humanity. Sitting there Kurenai could not help but feel an innate sadness; that the boy behind her was being set upon a similar path.

"Answer me this."

The quiet softness with which Naruto had suddenly spoken surprised Kurenai. Gone from that simple statement was any trace of brashness, arrogance, and disrespect.

"Would you have preferred that they had been tasked with it instead?" the blond Shugorei said softly, turning his head to nod in the direction where Sakura, Kiba, Hinata, Shino, and Akamaru all sat together cheerfully. "My hands are already coated in blood. If theirs remain clean for just a little bit longer because of what I do…. I have no problem with that."

Kurenai was silent for a moment as she rolled the thought around, looking over to where her students, Sakura included, sat. They were so young, barely out of the Academy and yet thrust into a world of violence. She had been little older than them when she had taken her first life, killing in the name of Konoha while on a mission during a war that had taken a number of her friends and former classmates. It was inevitable, that these genin would have to do the same. That didn't mean she had to like it or that she wouldn't try to at least delay it. However, at the same time Naruto was just like them. Was it fair to trade him for them?

"Naruto…."

"It's okay," the blond genin said quietly.

"No, no it's not," Kurenai corrected her voice a mix of kindness and concern. "You're not a weapon. You're not just some…."

"Thank you."

"Thank you for…for that," Naruto repeated as he began to stand up.

"Naruto…," the senior kunoichi trailed off, wishing to say more to the boy.

"Oi, Naruto!"

The energetic yell by Kiba halted whatever else Kurenai had been preparing to say. The small group of genin had spotted their friend as soon as he had stood up and were now walking or in Kiba's case hobbling over.

"Kiba, what took you so long?" Naruto noted with a wry grin, his voice losing the hushed quality it had just carried. "Shino woke up yesterday. Don't tell me you're letting yourself fall behind?"

"In your dreams!" the young Inuzuka boy crowed, Akamaru adding several barks to rally at his partner's side. "I'll be kicking ass again soon enough, just you wait and see!"

"Smelling ass is more like it," Shino deadpanned, causing the group of friends to suddenly laugh at Kiba's expense.

Hearing the laughter of his friends Kiba looked to his male teammate and said in annoyance, "I liked you a lot better when it seemed you had no sense of humor."

Silently shrugging in response Shino leaned over slightly onto the single crutch he had underneath his left arm.

Inadvertently pushing her fingers together Hinata spoke up in her usual soft voice, "Ano…Naruto-kun, um, well…."

"So, did you stop by to train with us a little?" Sakura asked sideling up to her teammate, beating out the Hyuuga heiress.

"Actually I was just stopping by to report to Kurenai-sensei in regards to my assignment," the blond Shugorei fibbed.

"You got an individual assignment?" Kiba suddenly asked, having not been told the details of all that was going on since he had woken up just that morning.

"It's not much, just patrolling the area, keeping a lookout for Gato's thugs and the like," Naruto lied through his teeth. "Rather boring stuff actually."

Hearing the lie Kurenai kept her face schooled in a calm mask. She had agreed with Kakashi on not telling Sakura and Hinata about the true nature of Naruto's assignment. She had extended that to include Shino and Kiba as well. There was no need to tell them that their friend was hunting down, interrogating, and then disposing of the thugs Gato had hired. She may not have agreed with the assignment, but she did agree that the other genin were not ready to know what Naruto was really doing. It seemed that the blond had also been informed of this and was now doing his best to allay their questions and concerns with the usual friendly warmth that had been described to her.

"Anyways, I got to get back out there," remarked the young Shugorei heir. "Kage Bunshin just aren't the same as being out their yourself."

Taking on a small pouting face, encouragement coming from her other half, Sakura hummed batting her eyes slightly, "Can't you give me a few lessons? Please?"

Frowning slightly at the pink haired girl, Hinata hid it as she looked to Naruto and quietly asked "Ano…Naruto-kun, um…do you think you could help me? I…well, um…Please?"

Feeling a tad uncomfortable as both girls seemed to look at him with puppy dog eyes, Naruto responded slowly, "Um…well, you see…I. Um…."

"I think having you help out would be a great idea," Kurenai suddenly interjected from where she sat, mirth playing in her crimson eyes. "Both Hinata and Sakura need help sparring. They're getting so used to fighting one another that their beginning to accommodate each other's bad habits. Besides, you told me there hasn't been any sign at all of Gato's men."

"Um, well…."

"Please, Naruto/Naruto-kun," both young kunoichi asked sweetly.

"Alright," the blue eyed genin acceded. "But only for a little while."

Watching with a distinct pleaseas Naruto was nearly dragged out into the middle of the small clearing by Sakura, Hinata blushing as she moved quickly beside them, Kurenai silently noted _"This won't just be good for them Naruto, but for you as well. You may be willing to sacrifice part of yourself to keep your friends from dirtying their hands, but the road to hell has always been paved with the best of intentions. Keeping the bonds with your friends strong will help you hold onto your humanity and hopefully save you before you have the chance to fall. Uchiha Itachi, Orochimaru, and that butcher, Shugorei Jinjiro…. Do not follow their paths, paths of needless bloodshed and sorrow."_

Not knowing the irony in the last part of that thought Kurenai adjusted her seat on the log. Letting a small, hopeful smile form on her lips Kurenai watched Naruto prepare to have a light training spar with Hinata and Sakura. Both girls were looking ready to give it their all, somehow catching a second wind as they looked to the blue eyed blond. Shino and Kiba taking seats next to her on the log Kurenai felt her smile grow a little more. She had a good guess as to why the two young kunoichi were now so intent to impress their friend.

"_It's rather cute really,"_ the senior kunoichi thought with a hidden giggle as she watched the two girls eye their shared target.

* * *

"Itai…."

Hinata cringed at feeling the slight strain of her muscles as she removed her jacket. Tossing the garment over to the side the young girl stood in her dark pants and training shirt. She was looking rather forward to getting into the small bathroom down the hallway in order to soak her tired body.

"You got tossed about quite a bit today."

Looking over her shoulder towards the familiar voice the Hyuuga heiress easily spotted her pink haired training partner standing there. Sakura was stripping off her red dress, showing the small, white tank top and tight black shorts she wore underneath.

"Ano…you got tossed around just as much as I did," Hinata responded politely.

"More by Naruto than by you," Sakura retorted quickly.

Hearing the quick, snappish statement Hinata bowed her head slightly. In their sparring before Naruto had shown up she had barely tied with Sakura even though she was using the famed Hyuuga Taijutsu style while the other girl used the basic style taught at the Academy. Hinata was just thankful that her father had not been present to see her perform so poorly. It was bad enough that she felt she had embarrassed herself in front of Naruto.

After agreeing to help them Naruto had spent a few hours sparring with the two genin kunoichi before resuming his assigned patrols. Kurenai had directed them, offering advice and making corrections as needed. The two girls had tried nearly every Taijutsu technique and trick they knew and yet they had not scored anything better than a glancing blow against the blond. On the other hand Naruto had tossed them around as if they were sacks of potatoes and the worst part was he had stayed on the defensive for the most part. Throughout it all the whiskered genin had stopped periodically to supplement Kurenai by offering his own advice and helping to correct their forms, this being more in the case of Sakura since Hinata had been using her family's style, the Juuken Ryuu. It had proven to be a rather educational albeit painful set of lessons.

"Na…Naruto-kun was…he was very helpful," Hinata stuttered, recalling the advice her crush had given to her throughout the spar. "Especially…especially what he said, the one thing he told the both of us at the end."

Recalling that particular piece advice Sakura did her best impression of the blond, repeating his words, "Remember you two, out there against an opponent you have to capitalize on what advantages you can get. One big one will be that your opponents are likely to underestimate you because…well let's face it…you're girls. Use that, use that moment of underestimation on their part to find something big to hit them with and keep hitting them until they stop getting back up."

Hearing the rather spot-on impersonation Hinata covered her mouth as she let out a small giggle, "Hai, that's it."

Cracking a toothy grin Sakura agreed, "Yeah, if he hadn't had a good point there I might have been offended by that 'girls' crack."

"Naruto-kun can be…he can be a bit blunt," the Hyuuga heiress commented. "He means well though."

Nodding in agreement Sakura suddenly froze up as part of her psyche let itself be known.

"_**Don't be fooled," **_Inner Sakura suddenly spat. _**"She acts friendly and innocent, but it is a trick!"**_

"_Wha-what?" _the pink haired hesitantly wondered.

"_**She seeks to lull you into a false sense of security,"**_ Inner Sakura whispered darkly. _**"She desires him…our beloved."**_

With that one thought, dwelling precariously in her mind, the pink haired girl's smile disappeared to be replaced by a deep frown. Letting her head dip slightly so that her eyes were shadowed by her hair the young kunoichi's fist unconsciously clenched.

"Hinata, you like Naruto, don't you?"

"Eh? Well…um," the young Hyuuga stuttered blushing at the sudden question. "Na…Naruto-kun is…um, he's…he's very friendly and…."

"More than a friend," Sakura remarked pointedly, her eyes shifting to look through the stands of her long hair and give the other girl a sidelong glare. "You like him more than just a friend, don't you?"

"Ano…I…."

Before Hinata could finish she doubled over as Sakura suddenly drove a fist into her stomach. The wind knocked out of her, Hinata felt her hair suddenly pulled in an iron grip as she was slammed hard onto the floor. Gasping for air a sudden weight landed roughly on her chest causing her to let a raspy cry. Sakura, her eyes cold flecks of sea-foam green, stared down at the pearly eyed girl she now knelt upon.

"You think you can fool _**us**_? You think _**we**_ don't know what you're scheming?!" Sakura snarled, tightening her grip on Hinata's dark hair. "_**We**_know the truth; you want him, trying to steal him from _**us**_!"

Hinata could barely hear Sakura, the blood was pounding in her ears too loudly as she desperately gasped for air. Letting out a wheezing whimper the young Hyuuga felt the weight on her chest shift for a moment before seeming to intensify.

"_**We**_ won't let you," seethed the pink haired girl madly, both of her knees now positioned fully on the smaller girl's chest. "You will not take him from _**me**_!"

"Na…Naruto-kun," Hinata, tears falling from her eyes, barely breathed out, her voice barely a whisper and yet somehow heard by her attacker.

"He is _**mine**_!" the long haired kunoichi growled. "Why would he ever desire a weakling like you when he can have…?"

"_Stop it!"_

That singular command, not spoken and yet echoing across her mind, made the pink haired girl freeze.

"_**What, you dare to interfere?!"**_ Inner Sakura raged at her creator.

"_S-stop…please stop!" _Sakura seemed to almost beg._ "I…I don't want this,"_

"_**You're weak; you don't know what you want!"**_ Inner Sakura screamed.

"_I know that Naruto is a kind person," _Sakura retorted quickly. _"He wouldn't want this!"_

Within the pink haired girl's mind Inner Sakura seemed to rise up, dwarfing her creator as she roared, _**"You foolish little…you're just as weak as…!**_

"Sakura!"

Having heard the thump of Hinata hitting the floor and then the muffled sound of loud voices from downstairs, Kakashi burst into the room with Kurenai only a step or two behind him. Seeing his student crushing the life out of her friend, the jounin moved almost instantly, tossing the pink haired girl across the room. Hitting the wall with a 'thud' before landing on the floor Sakura looked up, slightly dazed, before slumping over limply.

"Hinata!" Kurenai cried worriedly, rushing over to her student.

Greedily trying to breathe in the air that had been denied to her Hinata barely noticed her teacher reaching underneath her to prop her up into a sitting position. Eyes filled with unspilled tears Hinata could barely focus on her sensei's face. Unable to choke back the fear that had racked her, the small girl began to sob.

Cradling the Hyuuga girl in one arm Kurenai looked over to where Kakashi was bent over. Kneeling by his student the jounin felt along Sakura's neck. Finding a slow, but steady pulse the man glanced over his right shoulder, letting his single eye go straight to Kurenai. Rubbing small circles on Hinata's back in an attempt to calm the girl Kurenai caught the glance and nodded in understanding. Sakura was merely unconscious.

"Hinata?" the older kunoichi asked soothingly. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Sobbing slowly Hinata had her eyes screwed shut, content on merely crying.

"_Thank god Kiba and Shino are outside with Sasuke," _Kurenai thought as she tried to give the small girl in her arm more time to calm down. _"This is confusing enough without them trying to choke the life out of Sakura."_

Deciding to try again to get some answers from her student, before her or Kakashi's other students decided to show up unexpectedly, Kurenai quietly asked, "Hinata, I need to know, are you alright?"

Stifling a sniffle the young girl rubbed at the front of her shirt, "My…my chest hurts."

Seeing Kakashi intently looking over his student Kurenai carefully asked, "Can you lift your shirt up so I can see?"

Not saying anything Hinata merely clutched the hem of her shirt and tentatively pulled it up. Catching sight of a thin, white bra Kurenai shifted her position. Using her own body to shield her student's modesty Kurenai moved her hand from behind the girl to gingerly touch the angry red mark that blemished the slight swell of Hinata's budding breasts.

"Does it hurt when I do this," the crimson eyed woman inquired, carefully probing the girl's developing chest. Receiving a small cringe, but nothing more than that Kurenai comforted the girl, saying, "You're going to have a large bruise for a couple of days, but nothing seems to be broken."

Giving a small nod Hinata pulled her shirt back down.

"I have some creams that will help," the jounin kunoichi offered, giving her student a reassuring smile and catching the small nod of thanks. Moving back to to her puzzled concern the older kunoichi asked, "Hinata, what happened?"

"I…I…I don't…don't know," the pearly eyed girl hiccupped. "We…we…were talking. About training earlier…and then…."

Going quiet, a new set of tears falling down her face, Hinata wrapped her arms around herself. It was a simple effort, instinctively done out of a need for comfort and defense.

"She snapped."

Looking back over towards Kurenai and Hinata, his hand resting on Sakura's head, Kakashi repeated himself, "She snapped at you and then lashed out, didn't she?"

Hearing a trace of regret in his voice Kurenai watched as Hinata wordlessly nodded in agreement.

"This is my fault," the grey haired jounin mumbled. "I should've seen it coming."

"Ano…is…is Sakura…is she alright?" Hinata cautiously asked; her innate kindness and compassion evident and a little surprising to both Kurenai and Kakashi.

"She's just been through a lot," Kakashi said, deciding that part of the truth was better than an outright lie. "I'm sure she didn't mean to harm you, she just…."

"Hinata, why don't you go to the bathroom and begin your bath," Kurenai suggested, catching how Kakashi trailed off. "I'll be in shortly with that cream and then we'll talk about this some more."

"Sensei…?" Hinata whispered slowly.

"It'll be alright, trust me," the dark haired kunoichi told her student comfortingly.

Waiting a few minutes after Hinata had walked out and shut the door Kurenai finally looked straight at her peer, "Tell me everything."

Kakashi did just that. The grey haired jounin told his kunoichi counterpart how Team 7's mission had begun, how it had fallen apart, and what Sakura had been threatened with. He told of how the young Haruno had locked herself into her bathroom, how he had needed to break the door down, and how he had then taken her to deal with her fear.

"I was stupid," the Copy-nin stated with a sigh as he let his fingers comb through his unconscious student's pink hair. "I thought that if she was given something else to focus on, like training, she'd be alright. I thought she could hold it together until we got back to Konoha, but then…."

"But then you had to come to Wave and things just went to hell," Kurenai finished for him. "You should've told me this as soon as I awoke."

"I meant to, but…," Kakashi said, his voice falling as he looked down at Sakura's face, so innocent now that she was sleeping. Not like it had been when he had burst into the room.

Being a Genjutsu specialist Kurenai had worked hard to understand the human psyche. She started out mainly so her techniques would be more potent, but over time it had evolved into something of a hobby for her. She wasn't a certified psychologist nor was she a Yamanaka, the one clan in Konoha that specialized fully in understanding the how and why of the mind. However, right now Yuuhi Kurenai was the only one with the knowledge that was needed.

Letting out a tired sigh Kurenai remarked slowly, "Post traumatic stress disorder, from what you describe that's what it initially seems."

Nodding in agreement Kakashi responded, "That's what I'd guessed, but for it to progress to such a violent stage so quickly…."

"Continued stress can do that. Dealing with PTSD isn't an exact science even for a fully trained psychologist. It can manifest quickly or a person can carry it for years without a single problem only to snap over something as simple as spilt milk," Kurenai commented as she sat in thought. "It can also be exacerbated by other psychological difficulties. Do you recall anything in Sakura's medical file about her mental health?"

"It was fine," the jounin said blinking his single visible eye. "No problems were listed and she passed the regular psych evaluations at the Academy. If there was a problem it would've been noted."

"Maybe," the crimson eyed woman stated slowly. "Or maybe the problem was covered up. Sakura is a Haruno after all. They hold a good deal of power as Konoha's premier merchant clan. Her grandfather is the head of the family. If she had a problem he could've used the Haruno's connections and purse to hide it."

Shaking his head Kakashi dismissed Kurenai's suggestion saying, "I doubt it. Both Sakura's mother and grandfather are incredibly protective of her. I had a meeting with them after she was assigned to Team 7. While publicly they are supportive of her choice to be a kunoichi, privately they are less than pleased by it. If she had a problem they would've used it to try and keep her from becoming a shinobi. No, if she had a problem then I doubt they knew about it."

"Hmmm, so she may or may not have something adding to her PTSD," Kurenai noted, mulling probabilities over in her head.

"I'm open to suggestions," the Copy-nin stated. "But we should probably keep Sakura and Hinata separated for awhile."

"Agreed."

Rising to her feet Kurenai moved towards the door. She had a few thoughts on how to help the pink haired girl, but the majority of them required that they get her back to Konoha. Right now though she was more concerned for the young girl she had just sent to the bathroom. Hinata's physical injury was minor, but mentally it could be worse. Hinata put absolute trust into her friends. Having that trust betrayed, especially considering how her family interacted, could be devastating. She might not be able to tell the young Hyuuga heiress all of the details, partially because she herself wasn't sure of all of them yet, but Kurenai knew she had to tell the girl something.

"I'm going to go and check on Hinata. Let Sakura sleep for now," Kurenai said softly. "When I get back we'll talk more about what needs to be done."

"Do you think we should mention this to the others?" Kakashi asked, already guessing the answer, merely wanting to hear it confirmed by someone else.

"No, for now we'll keep this as quiet as possible," the jounin kunoichi answered, knowing that it would be a distraction that they didn't need. Potentially divisive, having the genin feel they needed to choose sides, choosing between friends should they found out. Right now it was up to them, the jounin-sensei, to coach things along and make sure it didn't all far apart.

"Whenever I start to think things can't possibly get worse here I'm proven wrong," the grey haired jounin suddenly remarked with a tired sigh. "I'm really starting to hate this country."

Turning slightly to look at the man as he stared down at his student, his eye filled with a unique sadness, Kurenai couldn't help but agree.

* * *

Morning in Tazuna's home was only mildly the same as it had been over the last few days. Tsunami had stepped outside to hang out the wash load she had just finished. Inari had disappeared quickly after breakfast, but it was easily surmised that he was out somewhere moping as usual. Seated around the table inside were the members of Team 8. Shino and Kiba didn't know what it was exactly, but they had picked up on the slight tension that was in the air. Both Kurenai and Hinata were going through the motions of the day, preparing for a new training session.

The talk in the bathroom between teacher and student the previous night had been rather odd. Hinata had surprised Kurenai with the depth of her kindness. While the young girl had still been quite frightened, her concern for her friend had pushed it aside. At first Kurenai had worried that Hinata was unconsciously assuming blame for the incident, something that wasn't that farfetched considering Hinata's relationship with her family. Being firm the jounin kunoichi had tried to get the point across that what had happened was in no way the young Hyuuga girl's fault.

"_Sa..Sakura is…she's a good friend. She…she wouldn't…. Something…something must have happened…t-t-to make her do this. P-p-please…please help her Kurenai-sensei."_

Recalling Hinata's plea from last night Kurenai looked across the table to the young pearly eyed kunoichi. At times Hinata's innate kindness and compassion seemed to border on being simply naivety and foolishness. However, it could not be denied that the girl had a unique gift when in came to being insightful about others. Many would say that such perception was a product of her bloodline, but Kurenai disagreed. Hinata's gift was not the same as the cold discernment showcased by many of the Byakugan carriers.

"So, what's on for today?" Kiba asked suddenly, deciding to break the silence that filled the room.

Blinking her crimson eyes as she was brought out of her thoughts Kurenai took a moment and replied calmly, "Well I have a few light exercises for you and Shino to do so you can start getting your muscles back into shape."

"Ano…what about me," Hinata inquired softly.

"I have a few simple Genjutsu that I can teach you despite my injuries," the jounin kunoichi answered, cringing slightly as her left arm shifted in its sling.

"Are you not teaching Sakura today?" Shino asked, his voice it's normal neutral tone.

"Kakashi has a few things for her to do this morning," Kurenai responded, falling back on the story that she and Kakashi had concocted. "When this afternoon comes she and Hinata will switch. It should be a good learning experience."

The truth was that Kurenai would indeed be seeing the pink haired girl in the afternoon, but not for training. After speaking with Hinata the previous night Kurenai and Kakashi had discussed options. What they had come up with was keeping the two girls separated for the time being. Hinata would indeed be doing some cross-training, but not so with Sakura. Kakashi would take Sakura with him to the bridge and try to talk things over with her while Sasuke was preoccupied with training. In the afternoon the young pink haired genin would return to the house to have a diagnostic session with the older kunoichi.

It was anyone's guess as to how that would turn out. Normally shinobi with psychological problems had short careers. Too often their problem manifested in a way that caused them to hurt themselves permanently or even fatally. Even with help the stigma often caused them to accept early retirement. Sakura seemed nice enough and Hinata did care about her as a friend. Part of Kurenai really hoped she could indeed help the young Haruno girl.

"Man, I can't wait to get my strength back," Kiba commented loudly, his crutches leaning against the back of his chair. "Naruto and Sasuke always get the good assignments!"

"It is due to necessity, not favoritism," Shino stoically remarked, reaching around for the single crutch he still needed.

Running his hands through his hair as he let out a small cry of frustration the young Inuzuka exclaimed, "I know that, what I was saying was…."

Whatever Kiba had decided to say was lost to her as Kurenai thought to the other genin of Team 7. Sasuke had left with Kakashi about an hour ago to guard Tazuna and to work on awakening his latent Doujutsu. The young Uchiha heir seemed to be getting increasingly frustrated over not unlocking his Sharingan yet. Naruto on the other hand was also not in an incredibly cheerful mood. Back out there, trying to track down Gato's thugs with the hope of finding the man himself, the whiskered blond had left very early that morning in order to canvas the other side of the island. Since clearing out the nearby town and running into the fake hunter-nin no other contact had been made with the enemy. This had drawn Kakashi's suspicion and Kurenai had found herself agreeing.

Losing nearly fifty men was not the end of Gato's criminal empire. It was estimated from what intelligence Naruto had gathered and from what little Tazuna knew that Gato had several hundred bandits and thugs throughout Wave. The man also had the ability to call in hundreds more from elsewhere if needed. The losses that the young Shugorei had inflicted might have made the criminal leader mad, but they were far too little to scare him off so soon. The fact that Gato had yet to send a group to reclaim the town Naruto had 'liberated' was disconcerting. Reprisals should have been swift considering what Tazuna had told them regarding Kaiza standing up to Gato and taking out a handful of the man's thugs.

"_This could very well be the calm before the storm,"_ Kurenai cautiously thought, having already discussed the possibility with Kakashi the night before. _"But hopefully with Naruto out there we can get some kind of advanced warning. I just hope he doesn't try to do too much. He's still just a kid and this is…."_

"Aaaaah!"

"Kaasan!"

The sudden cries that broke Kurenai's thoughts were unmistakable. Rising to her feet so quickly that she knocked her chair backwards Kurenai was outside before she had even realized what she was doing. Surprisingly enough, Hinata was only a few steps behind her while Kiba and Shino were trying their best to grab their crutches and hobble out to join their sensei and teammate.

Standing there on the lip where the porch of the house connected with the small dock Kurenai bit her lip in frustration at what she saw. Halfway down the dock two thugs were standing, Tsunami on her knees between them as they let their hands rest eagerly on the hilts of the katana that each wore on their hip. While seeing Tazuna's daughter held hostage was bad, it wasn't the worst thing about the situation. The other ten bandits who were waiting on the shore near the end of the dock were.

"Inari!"

"Kaasan!"

Hearing the sudden cry Kurenai easily spied Inari only a few feet from her. The boy was struggling to rise up from his hands and knees, as if preparing to charge the two sword wielding thugs next to his mother. Kurenai prepared to step forward to grab the boy but was beaten to him by Hinata. While she felt some pride in the way the young kunoichi was trying to comfort and protect the young boy Kurenai felt a certain trepidation at her student's action. If the thugs hadn't noticed the Konoha-nin coming out of the house then they certainly had noticed them now.

"Hey Zouri, looks like we won't have to go searching now," said the first sword wielder, a man with an eye patch over his right eye and a tattoo crawling over his left shoulder to spread across his chest.

"I hear you Waraji," Zouri, the second sword wielder, remarked. "I just love it when things turn out easy for us."

"Please, leave us alone! Tsunami begged only to get slapped across the face.

"Kaasan!"

Shifting her gaze over to where Hinata and Inari were Kurenai saw the young boy struggling as the Hyuuga girl held him tightly to her.

"Hey! What do you think you bastards are doing?!" Kiba yelled as he and Shino finally made their way out onto the porch, Akamaru right by their side letting out several barks and growls.

"Four? I thought there were only supposed to be one or two?" Zouri commented, moving a hand up to rub at the stocking-hat atop his head.

"Eh, looks like Zabuza ain't as high and mighty as he wants everyone to believe," Waraji replied, licking his lips in anticipation. "Besides, look at 'em! Two brats on crutches, a woman all bandaged up, and a slip of a girl!"

"Yeah, if they ain't the sorriest group of ninja I've ever done seen," laughed Zouri as he let his thumb touch the guard of his sword.

"Sorry?!" growled Kiba angrily. "I'll show you, you bastards!"

"Kiba!"

Turning her whole body sideways as her broken collarbone didn't allow her to turn her head Kurenai shot the young Inuzuka stern glance. Seeing the boy clench his teeth but nod just the same the jounin turned back towards the enemy. Her message to both boys had been clear, 'don't do anything stupid and wait for my signal'.

"_If I only knew what that was going to be,"_ Kurenai silently grumbled.

Right now things were pretty bad. If she wasn't injured Kurenai knew she could deal with the two men and the group of bandits behind them easily. Sleeping would seem a chore in comparison. However, her injuries and the fact that they had a hostage were limiting her greatly. She also had to worry about her two weakened students and the small boy that her other student was currently protecting.

"_Alright, if I move in fast and hit those two then Hinata can grab Tsunami and get her and Inari back into the house. Kiba and Shino can cover us with kunai and shuriken. The dock means we can bottleneck the other thugs," _the crimson eyes jounin thought quickly before a cold tendril of doubt weaved its way into her guts. _"But what if something goes wrong? If I only get one the other will skewer me and possible Tsunami as well. Hinata would have to fight him as well as the others. Can she do that? Can I risk it? No, I'm not going to miss; I'm going to get them both. Hinata can do it, she's grown a lot and…."_

"No!" Tsunami suddenly shouted. "Leave them alone! If you…if you don't then…then I'll bite off my tongue and…."

"Shaddup!" Waraji drawled, striking Tsunami hard enough in the back of the head to send her into a silent daze.

"Kaasan!" Inari screamed, tears steadily falling from his eyes as he tried to break free from Hinata and run to his mother.

"_No choice,"_ Kurenai resolved, tensing her body and preparing to attack. _"It's now or…."_

"Aaaah!"

Before she could launch her assault several screams shattered the silence. However, the screams were not from Tsunami or Inari, neither were they from any member of Team 8. No, these were the screams of desperate men being slaughtered.

Looking past the two sword wielding thugs to the group behind them Kurenai felt her eyes widen in shock and horror. Turning sideways to follow the gaze of the jounin both Zouri and Waraji felt their eyes widen in a similar manner. The group they had left on shore was being cut to pieces as blond sword wielding clones descended upon them from the forest. As the last bandit let out a gurgling screech, his throat was sliced open and his guts hanging out, a familiar whiskered genin suddenly appeared on the dock between the two remaining thugs and the shoreline.

"I don't like preying upon the weak," Naruto remarked, his voice calm and yet holding a dark undertone. "But then again, I despise scum like you."

Standing there the blue eyes of the young Konoha-nin seemed to burn with a cold fire. Flanked by the clones that stood upon the shore Naruto held his hands in his pants pockets, his Zanpakuto still sheathed across his back.

"You little bastard!" Waraji growled taking a step towards the blond. "Who the fuck do you think you are?! You're nothing more than…!"

"I'm the guy who a few days ago killed that entire group of thugs Gato had in town," the Shugorei heir stated, dangerously calm as he interrupted. "I'm the guy who only a few moments ago wiped out the group he sent to retake that town. I'm the guy who just now slaughtered your group of friends back there. And I'm the guy who's going to kill you as well. That's who the fuck I am."

Waraji and Zouri weren't sure at that moment, as they looked at the twelve year old boy, why their guts seemed to tighten into knots or why cold sweat formed on their brow. Maybe it was how his clones had just killed the group they had been leading, how he had just listed off killing so many others, how he had spoken in such a chilling manner, or how he stood there without a single hint of fear. Maybe it was a combination of all of it. Whatever the cause, both men swallowed hard as they grabbed the hilts of their swords.

"Y-you're…you're full of it!" Waraji stammered, recomposing himself enough to shoot a singular glare at the boy. "That…that was…you used just some sort of ninja trick!"

"Y-yeah! You ain't but nothing!" Zouri yelled, not realizing how foolish he sounded. "You're just some ninja puke! Besides, we've got a hostage and…."

Blinking in surprise both thugs could not hide their shock as the blond genin in front of them suddenly disappeared.

"You had a hostage."

Spinning around at the sound of the voice the two men were even more surprised to now see the same boy standing between them and the house. Adding to their alarm was the fact that he held Tsunami bridal style in his arms. It took several double-takes by the sword wielding bandits to realize that the woman they had been holding hostage in-between them was indeed no longer there.

"Such speed," Kurenai breathed out, shocked by Naruto's movement. Being a jounin she had been able to follow it, but still….

"Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered, her voice showing her surprise and joy.

"Kaasan!" Inari yelled as Naruto set Tsunami down on the dock only a few feet from where the boy was.

Wiggling his way free of Hinata's grasp, the girl too stunned to keep her grip tight, Inari ran to his mother. Coming out of her daze Tsunami spied her son. Opening her arms the dark haired woman gathered her son into the deepest hug imaginable, whispering soothing words mixed with thanks.

"It's as I told you Inari," Naruto suddenly said as he pulled his Zanpakuto free of its sheathe and turned back to look at the enemy. "These guys are nothing but bullies. Stand up to them, show them you aren't afraid, hit them hard enough and they'll think twice about coming after you."

Looking up from his mother's grasp the tears that Inari looked to the older boy he had yelled at and called stupid. Turning his head slightly Naruto threw the boy a warm, toothy smile.

"Y-you little bastard!" Waraji suddenly screamed, grasping the hilt of his sword and charging. "I'll kill you!"

"No, Waraji don't!" Zouri cried.

Disappearing just as quickly as before, Naruto used Shunpo to appear on the other side of the eye-patch wearing thug before the man had even gotten more than five steps. Waraji stood, seemingly frozen in place, the pupil of his eye seemed unable to fix on anyone spot. Opening his mouth to say something the tattooed thug found himself unable to speak as he suddenly coughed hard. Blood coming from his mouth and dripping down his chin and off his scraggly goatee the man's eye glazed over. Falling down limply the man's mind barely registered the wound that had pierced through his back to leave his chest a bloody blossom right over the spot where his heart had been.

Flicking Konoe to remove the little bit of blood that was on the blade Naruto didn't need to turn and look to know the outcome. Senka was a move that, utilizing Shunpo, allowed the user to deliver a piercing strike at the blind spot of an opponent's back. It was a near perfect way to quickly kill an opponent with minimal effort and had been preferred by many Shugorei for just such a reason. Naruto knew, as his attempt to use it against Kakashi had failed, he still had much work to do in order to master it. However, against a simple thug like Waraji it was more than adequate…almost overkill really.

"Holy shit!" Zouri breathed out fearfully before turning and running as fast as he could down the dock.

Watching the final bandit stumbling and falling over himself as he tried to reach the shore and what he imagined to be the relative safety of the woods on it Kurenai turned to look to her students. Preparing to address them and shake them from their shock Kurenai suddenly picked up something in her peripherals. Naruto seemed to be watching the retreating man like a hawk. At that moment the jounin kunoichi's mind clicked.

"No, Naruto wait!"

It was already too late though, the boy had used Shunpo. Only a few mere feet from the end of the dock, Zouri tripped over himself yet again. Catching himself with his hands, leaving himself in a slightly crouching position, the sword wearing thug suddenly noticed a pair of sandaled feet standing only a few inches in front of him. Eyes wide with fear the man brought his face up and let out a whimper at what he saw. Standing there, holding Konoe in his right hand, Naruto had his left index finger, a small point of bluish white light on it, pointed directly at the thug's head.

"Hey," the Shugorei heir stated calmly. "You know that light…at the end of the tunnel? That ain't heaven."

Before she could yell, before she could try and halt the whiskered blond, Kurenai saw the head of the stocking-hat wearing thug split open like an overripe melon. Standing there, Naruto let the Byakurai he had just fired die out as the body slumped over onto its side. Sheathing his Zanpakuto in one, swift motion Naruto began to walk back up the dock, Kurenai's crimson eyes on him every step he took.

"W-why…? You…you shouldn't have done that," the dark haired jounin whispered as the young genin came to a stop only a few feet away from her.

"He would've gone back to Gato and returned with an even larger group," the blue-eyed Shugorei remarked, not a trace of regret in his voice. "Gato's decided we're all too much of a problem to leave alive. I'm sorry I wasn't quicker in getting here, but only one guy from the group that I intercepted knew that a second group was coming here."

Seemingly unaffected or just able to shake off his shock faster than his teammates, Shino spoke, "If Gato sent a group here to capture Tazuna's family and finish us off then…."

"Yeah, he's sent others to the bridge," the blond jinchuuriki answered with a nod. "Five will get you ten that it's Zabuza and his crew."

"N-naruto…," Kiba said in a voice tainted with shock and awe, looking past his friend to the corpses left in the boy's wake before looking directly at the blond. "H-how…why? I…you…."

Ignoring the Inuzuka boy Naruto looked directly to Kurenai, saying, "Gato only sent the one group here and I've already taken care of the one headed towards town. I've got to go. Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and Sakura…."

Giving a nod Kurenai swallowed what she wanted to yell at the boy, understanding the situation they were all now in, saying instead, "We should be able to handle things here for the time being."

"Alright then, but I'd like to take some extra backup," the Shugorei heir stated, turning to look away from the Kurenai and at the younger kunoichi of Team 8. "Hinata…. Are you with me? Are you with me, Hinata?"

Hearing the question Kurenai felt her mouth go dry. She had grown protective of the shy girl, but she knew what the situation was right now. While she wanted the young Hyuuga heiress to remain here, relatively safe and away from battle, she knew that the girl was right now the healthiest and most capable member of Team 8. Looking over to the genin kunoichi Kurenai saw the small battle being fought beneath those two pearly eyes. It was easy enough to tell that Hinata was troubled by fear, fear of the unknown, of death, of even the boy whom she admired and wished to hold close to her heart. And yet at the same time the normally timid girl was torn by her sense of duty, her compassion, her desire to help her friends, and of course the desire to stand with the whiskered blond she so admired and cared for. It was anybody's guess as to….

"Hai, Naruto-kun."

* * *

At the bridge mist had already rolled in to cover it and all those who stood upon it. The sudden atmospheric change amidst the warm morning sun was not missed by those who were observing. Far back in the woods, atop the cliff the bridge was only a single span away from, a well camouflaged group was watching carefully. They had seen the group of former Kiri-nin takeout the workers who had already arrived on the bridge earlier. They had seen the three Konoha-nin and the old bridge builder arrive several moments later. Now it seemed that the camouflaged group's boredom was about to end.

"Whoa, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" a young combat engineer asked before getting pulled down to the ground.

"Yes, now stay down!" one of the scouts assigned for protection and observation whispered harshly as he released the other man's shirt sleeve. "What do ya think Sarge?"

Watching the mist begin to thicken and hearing yells beginning to echo out of it a grizzled recon sergeant replied, "I think this what we been waiting for. Get a message back to the Benihime, she's gonna be real interested in this."

* * *

**AN:** _So there it is, Part 1. Yes, yes I know it's a bit late coming. Blame the delay on the fact that I've tried really hard to refine this chapter into the exhilarating scenes that have been running through my head ever since I first began to imagine this story. I'm particularly glad to finally get one particular scene written and posted. The scene where Naruto fights outside Tazuna's home and executes Zouri almost mafia style has been kicking about my head for the longest time and is one of the handful of scenes I first imagined when this story was a mere brainstorm. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Part 2 is coming. As always feedback, commentary, critiques, general thoughts, etc. are always welcomed and appreciated. 500 here I come._

_**Tyrchon**_

* * *


	22. Chapter 21: Dead Heroes Part 2

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 21 – Dead Heroes (Part 2)**_

* * *

"Almost there! With just a little more work my super-awesome bridge will be finished!"

One would think that from the goofy grin that Tazuna wore and the way his cheeks were slightly flushed that he was slightly drunk as he crowed proudly. Normally that would've been a good guess as the old bridge builder always seemed to have a large bottle of sake on his person. Indeed the old man had said bottle in his hand as he and his escorts walked the length of the massive concrete structure, however, the grey haired bespectacled man had yet to take even a tiny sip from it, a feat in and of itself. No, right now Tazuna was drunk on the enthusiasm, anticipation, and excitement coursing through his veins as he made his ways towards the construction site located at the end of his bridge. It was as he had said, his bridge was nearing completion. The enthusiasm was nearly contagious…nearly. Of the members of Team 7 who accompanied the old bridge builder only Sakura seemed to outwardly share in the positive atmosphere.

"Yatta!" the young, pink haired genin cheered as she felt the warmth of the sun, lifting her arms over her head to stretch out her muscles. "No gloomy fog today! If things are quiet maybe I can work on getting a tan later…Ino would be _so_ jealous if I did."

"Hai, hai…after training and your meeting with Kurenai later," Kakashi reminded, giving a slight wave of his hand while the other held a familiar little orange book near his face. While he let out a small chuckle at his student's merry exclamation the single visible eye of the grey haired jounin remained ever watchful as it gazed over the top of the book.

Since he had first picked it up all those years ago, Kakashi had found that Icha Icha Paradise had a wide variety of uses. Ranging from the most obvious, it was a somewhat _unique_ novel after all, to how it was currently being used, hiding what the Copy-nin was truly thinking. It was a tossup as to what use Kakashi preferred, though no one really wanted to guess. Right now, however, the grey haired jounin was currently focused primarily on his young kunoichi student and not the bawdy text held in his hand.

Underneath the pink haired girl's exuberant smile and happy laugh lurked something else, something dangerous, unexpected, and…unstable. He had missed the warning signs, that or he had seen them and dismissed them as his attention at the time had been focused on the danger swirling around him and his team.

Whatever the case it had been a mistake to do so.

While the dangers around them were many what was truly deadly was the danger that lurked within, the danger that remained unseen. That danger had manifested itself the day before. Sakura had snapped, lashing out at Hyuuga Hinata and coming incredibly close to seriously injuring the other girl. Only the timely intervention of Kakashi and Kurenai had halted the attack before it could escalate.

"_Too many questions,"_ the jounin noted quietly as his eye remained carefully focused. _"What set Sakura off? What made her attack Hinata? Was it specific to Hinata or would it have occurred regardless of who was in the room? Is it over? Was it only a onetime thing? Is she simply a bomb waiting to go off? Has she compromised us? What if she…?"_

With a quick shake of his head Kakashi tried to halt that line of thought. Being ex-ANBU, and a former Captain to boot, he not only knew where those thoughts led but had carried through on them more times than he cared to remember.

Properly eliminating a comrade because they had become a liability could be done really only two ways. The first way was to burn them, destroy all that makes them who they are, erase their past, their credentials, their skills, everything. Add a high level Genjutsu lodged deep in their brain and you can in induce what, for all intents and purposes, is a nice long-term case of amnesia. Finish it all off by putting them someplace where they can wander around, someplace where they can't hurt themselves, someplace where they can ease into a new, simpler life. Of course that life would be carefully created and choreographed for them so one could still keep eyes on them in the off chance that they might become useful again at some later date. However, doing all of these things is a rather complicated and costly procedure. The far easier, cheaper, and yet decisively more permanent method is to simply kill them. Give them a reasonable end, say dieing on a dangerous mission, and you get a believable and usually airtight cover story. The only problem with option two is the fact that it is permanent. Unlike burning there is no take back, if at some point down the line they become a necessity once again then, well…too bad for you.

Watching Sakura give a happy laugh and then twirl slightly as she breathed in the sea air Kakashi chewed on his lip. If Sakura was truly a liability there really was only one option, not two. Burning only worked when the person could have all of their ties cleanly severed and was usually reserved only for those who had, sometime prior, developed a unique usefulness. Being a genin Sakura was still too young and inexperienced to have developed such abilities or knowledge. The fact she also was a Haruno meant her family would not just sit idly by as she was stripped of all that made her who she is before then being quietly placed into a new life. That meant….

"_We're on a mission that has grown exceedingly more dangerous. It'd be easy, understandable really…,"_ the grey haired jounin thought before catching himself. _"No, no we're not to that point yet. Sakura will meet with Kurenai and then…and then…. And then what?"_

Coming up on where the construction material and equipment was Kakashi could not, or rather did not, want to answer that question. Taking minds apart was where his skill lay, not putting them back together or analyzing their subtle nuances. He knew what he had to do should the worse come, but for now he would leave it up to Kurenai. Hopefully she would be able to….

"_Wait, why is it so quiet? The crews should be…. Oh shit!"_

Kakashi's realization came mere seconds before Sakura's scream. Lying off to one side, just far enough behind several pieces of equipment, so as to not be easily seen from a distance, were the still forms of the Tazuna's crew.

"No!" the old bridge builder exclaimed as he moved towards his men in a stumbling run.

"Wait, Tazuna!" Kakashi shouted as he stretched out his senses and began to pick up on the subtle shift in the air.

Dropping to his knees next to his men, Tazuna paid little heed to the tendrils of charka laden mist than began to roll onto the unfinished bridge. Reaching a hand out to one of his men and rolling him over, mindful of the senbon needles sticking out of flesh and cloth, Tazuna caught the small groan of the unconscious man. Looking up with relief written on his face the old bridge builder felt his words catch in his throat and the color drain from his face as he found himself suddenly in a bank of thick fog.

"I suppose this is where I make some threatening remark about handing over the old man if you don't want to die," Momochi Zabuza suddenly spoke, "but such a thing is far too trite and clichéd, don't you agree, Copy-nin Kakashi?"

"One could say the same thing about your little game of hide and seek, Devil Zabuza," Kakashi replied dourly, readying his charka to try and thin the mist out.

Giving a barking laugh from somewhere in the deep haze the former Kiri-nin responded, "Ah, but then where would we all be without life's little challenges?"

Just as those words echoed forward Kakashi released the charka he had been building up. The small, blue wave rippled through the mist, thinning it considerably and revealing the group of four missing-nin to be standing just towards the end of the bridge.

"I would say that you'd be right there," Kakashi noted cheekily.

Eyes narrowing at the small rebuke Zabuza let his gaze pass over his targets. Carefully extending his senses so as to notice any duplicity, the former jounin of Kirigakure felt a small frown form underneath the bandages that covered the lower half of his face. Only two of his three prizes were present.

"Not bad Kakashi," the Devil of the Mist noted, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "However, we seem to be missing someone. You didn't lose that special student of yours, did you?"

Standing there Kakashi was taken aback by the other man's words. _"Special student, what is he…Naruto! No, calm down, he's just trying to bait you."_

"All of my students are special," the Konoha jounin answered as he slowly let his hand creep up his side. If he could just keep Zabuza talking until he got his forehead protector up and his Sharingan revealed…. "Sakura graduated with perfect test scores from the Academy. And Sasuke…well, he is an Uchiha after all."

Though he had referenced them the grey haired ninja felt no need to actually shift his visible eye towards the two genin accompanying him, his six sense told him enough already. Sasuke, a small smirk betraying his eagerness, had already pulled out two kunai, one for each hand. Surprisingly enough Sakura had also pulled out a kunai and had settled into a combat stance. Though she was easily the weakest link of their chain the pink haired kunoichi seemed to have instinctively moved to cover Tazuna as soon as the mist had begun to roll onto the bridge.

"_There, let him chew on…?"_ Whatever degree of satisfaction had been creeping through Kakashi's mind died. Standing just down the bridge Zabuza had thrown his head back to let out a rough peel of laughter.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha…what wonderful jokes you tell, Kakashi," Zabuza mocked. "If that boy is an Uchiha then I must assume he's the fabled 'sole survivor' that one hears tell of so much. What's the matter brat? Were you too frightened to die with the rest of your breed?"

"Probably too busy hiding under…," Meizu began as Gouzu finished, "…his bed, pissing his pants!"

"You bastards," Sasuke snarled, his face screwing up in a hateful mask. "I'll…."

"And the other one," the deadly former Kiri jounin continued, "Test scores? You threaten _me_, with test scores? What is she going to do, read me to death?"

Letting out another roar of laughter Zabuza's deep guffaws were joined by the insane giggling of the Demon Brothers. Turning his masked face slowly back and forth between his master and their opponents, Haku remained a silent observer. Truth be known, his lack of a formal education was something of an annoyance to the teenager, personally he loved to read.

Gritting her teeth and clenching her kunai so tightly that the steel handle seemed to almost let out tiny squeals as it was compressed Sakura stared death at the three laughing nin. "Come over here and say that why don'tcha! _**We'll**_ shove _**our**_ foot so far up your ass that…!"

"Hey don't be super-stupid, they'll…," Tazuna began to say as he reached a hand out towards the irate young kunoichi only to have her turn her death glare onto him. Though he was only its target for an instant the old bridge builder felt himself shrink down to nothing before the twelve year-old girl. "Um…never mind."

Shifting his eye over to the pink haired girl in order to make sure she wasn't about to do something stupid, say charge straight to her death, Kakashi let his teeth grind ever so slightly._ "Shit, not good, not good at all,"_ the Copy-nin silently swore. _"They have us outnumbered and…."_

"Sasuke, Sakura…calm down, don't let them get to you," Kakashi ordered as the fingers of his hand came into contact with the fabric of his mask, playing the motion off as if here simply scratching an itch rather than preparing to reveal the mature Sharingan that lay covered beneath his slanted forehead protector. "Remember your training; he's purposely trying to get under your skin."

His face twisted in a snarl as he glared daggers towards the enemy Sasuke forced himself to take several breathes. Turning her head slightly Sakura spat on the ground, letting out in addition an annoyed, _'Tch'_.

"So where is the blond one?" Zabuza suddenly inquired, his voice having completely sobered. "I know that he has been the one hunting down the trash that Gato styles as his enforcers. Normally such a thing would be beneath my notice, but…," the former Kiri-nin added with an almost pleased note to his voice, "he has killed quite a number of them. So I ask you again, where is he?"

"Doing his job," Kakashi stated coolly.

"Ha! It seems that Konoha doesn't know how to properly utilize its resources," caustically noted the Devil of the Mist. "You best be careful, grunt work wears thin rather easily. I wouldn't be surprised if he was already entertaining the thought of abandoning you to seek a more proper challenge else-…."

"Naruto would never do that!" Sakura yelled, this time her kunai clearly bending slightly beneath the intensity of her angered grip. "You know nothing about him…or _**us**_!"

Nodding his head slightly in agreement Sasuke added, his voice cool and holding a distinct edge, "You speak far too familiarly, Momochi Zabuza. Your ignorance is appalling; your tactic is that of the weak and the desperate. Save yourself from further embarrassment and refrain from speaking anymore…it makes you sound stupid."

Beneath his mask Kakashi could not help but to let his lips curl into a satisfied smirk. Sasuke's response was pure Uchiha, carrying a certain air of arrogance and superiority, as well as the unspoken promise of retribution. Combined with Sakura's vehemence in her declaration it was a near perfect verbal riposte. Team 7 was just that, a team. Zabuza's attempt to divide them and fill them with doubt had failed miserably. It seemed that the Kiri-nin was losing his….

"Oh I know a great deal about your…_friend_," Zabuza noted darkly, a smirk hidden beneath the bandages covering the lower half of his face. "You see he is just like me, a true shinobi…a true killer."

"_Naruto_ is nothing like you, you…you monster!" Sakura snarled.

"Oh, but he is. The blood coursing…."

"_Now!"_ Kakashi realized, pulling up his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan and lock eyes with his opponents, causing Zabuza to suddenly fall silent. "You've lost Zabuza. I told you before that I saw only death for…." Eyes widening in surprise, Kakashi noted the form of chakra in his opponents just as the four missing-nin ruptured, the water that had made them splashing down onto the concrete. _"Shit!"_

"Really now Kakashi, shame on you," Zabuza's mocking voice echoed forth as the mist began to thicken once again. "Do you think me such a fool as to let you use the Sharingan on me so easily again?! I don't know what's worse, the fact that you never noticed that you were conversing with a Bunshin or that you were making such a terribly effort at subtly reaching up for your forehead protector. You're pitiful, Copy-nin, a one-trick-pony!"

"_Damn it!" _Gritting his teeth as he swore silently, berating himself for making such a rookie error, Kakashi let his eyes flick back and forth over the mist that was swirling around his small group. He had to locate Zabuza and he had to do it….

"Hopefully that Shugorei boy will redeem your failings," the missing-nin stated, his location hidden by the dense fog. "I'm rather looking forward to fighting him again, this time without any annoying distractions."

Hearing those words Kakashi felt his mouth go dry as questions filled his mind. How had Zabuza found out? How could the secret of Naruto's heritage be known to, of all people, a missing-nin from Kirigakure? The man had only encountered Naruto once, twice if one counted the fight by between the blond and the fake hunter-nin a few days ago. There was no way that Zabuza could've guessed…it was improbable. Had he known beforehand? Did this mean that Kiri knew the truth? What of the other villages and countries? A leak somewhere in Konoha seemed unlikely, impossible really, but then again….

"Shugorei? What's he talking about?" Sakura suddenly asked, the look on her face mirroring the puzzlement in her question. "Has he gone daft? The Shugorei are all dead, except for…."

"Sakura, don't…," Kakashi began to caution the young pink haired kunoichi only to be interrupted.

From the mist Zabuza's voice cut in, "They don't know?! His own teammates don't know the truth of his heritage and his nature?! How pathetic the next generation of Konoha is, not even able to recognize a member of the finest shinobi clan ever to step onto the battlefield!"

"_Stupid dobe, always making things complicated," _Sasuke mused, thinking of the only person he had come to consider his best friend. _"Idiot isn't even here,"_ the boy though with a small smirk as he closed his eyes. _"At least I get an interesting fight out of it though."_

As the mocking laughter from Zabuza echoed forth from the mist Kakashi spoke, his voice low, "Sakura, there will be time to explain later, right now you must prepare yourself for battle. You're a kunoichi now; remember what you've been taught, don't hesitate."

Staring at her sensei, a mixture of confusion and worry on her face, Sakura forced herself to swallow, as she did her grip on her kunai tightened. _"A kill…go for a kill, not a wound,"_ the pink haired girl thought repeatedly as she tried to set herself and dismiss the memories of a blood soaked street and a grinning maniac. _"This is it, I…I can…."_

"_**No," **_the voice that was an altered reflection of her own spoke within the pink haired girl's mind, _**"I can."**_

"I believe that we have given you enough of a reprieve, Kakashi," the Devil of the Mist suddenly intoned. "Haku, you know what to do. Meizu, Gouzu…deal with the brats. Oh, and just in case the boy is indeed an Uchiha, make sure his eyes are at least salvageable after you kill him…there are quite a number of buyers out there who would be interested in acquiring them."

Kakashi, his mind already working on trying to develop something even vaguely close to being considered a plan, shifted his attention to the boy he had been training the last few days. "Sasuke, it's sooner than I'd like but we have little choice. Remember your limit."

"Hn," the raven haired Uchiha grunted in understanding as he opened his eyes. Zabuza had just upped the ante; the only way to answer was to push all in. "I'll make it fast."

Hearing the words of her teammate Sakura turned her head towards him only to let out a small gasp when she beheld his face, no, more importantly…his eyes. Red irises with black pupils and a single black, comma-like tomoe circling each had replaced the boy's normal dark eyes. Seeing the change the young female genin felt a faint smirk tug at her lips, part of her cooing in delight.

Sharingan.

* * *

The mist that had rolled in to cover the nearly complete bridge and all those who stood upon it was a sight to behold. The thick bank of fog surrounded only the last three hundred yards or so of the concrete structure, extending down to the waterline and outwards for about another twenty yards give or take a few feet. On top of that, the weather about the area was perfectly warm and sunny without a cloud in the sky. Though heavy mists and fogs were common to the Country of Wave even the most casual observer from the deserts of Wind Country would have noticed the unnaturalness of the chakra laced water vapor.

The sudden atmospheric change amidst the warm morning sun was not missed by those who were observing. Far back in the woods, atop the cliff the bridge was only a single span away from, a well camouflaged group was watching carefully. They had seen the group of former Kiri-nin takeout the workers who had already arrived on the bridge earlier. They had seen the three Konoha-nin and the old bridge builder arrive several moments later. Now they could only sit and watch as the unnatural fog thickened.

"Whoa, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" a young combat engineer asked before getting pulled down to the ground.

"Yes, now stay down and keep quiet!" harshly whispered one of the scouts assigned for protection and observation as he released the other man's shirt sleeve. Turning his head slightly to look at an older man whose face was similarly painted in a patchwork of green and brown the young scout asked, "What do ya think Sarge?"

"I think this is what we've been waiting for," the veteran recon sergeant replied, eyes trained on the mist obscured bridge as the sounds of battle began to echo lightly. "Get a message back to the Benihime, she's gonna be real interested in this."

"Roger that boss," the young scout answered, the small grin that split his painted face betraying his anticipation.

"Taka," the Sergeant suddenly added, addressing the young engineer that his subordinate had shushed moments before, "You and your boys better make sure your little toys are ready. If this is it then _She_ ain't gonna want any delays."

Eyes widening slightly Taka gulped once before nodding and scrambling off to where his fellow engineers were waiting. It was neither wise nor healthy to delay the coming of the Benihime.

* * *

"_**Ooh, just what we've been wanting. Seems we've been a good girl after all, haven't we?"**_

Standing there, surrounded by mist, Sakura felt a shiver run up and down her spine. It wasn't due to cold, heavens no. This shiver was electric, making her toes curl and her breathe quicken oh so slightly. A warmth had been kindled just bellow her belly.

"_**Hmm, a little more effort and we can get some 'sparks' to really fly."**_

Hearing the sultry murmur the young girl let out a soft gasp. Flashing before her eyes, seen and yet unseen, was a menagerie of images. The small sound went unheeded, her companions tensed and focused on the prospect of battle. All the better as she would not have been able to offer them an explanation, far too caught up in this surreal….

"_**Oooo, I just love this one,"**_ the voice commented as one of the images seemed to hold longer than the others. _**"Don't you?"**_

Sakura could barely respond. Her mind was in overdrive, barely even noticing that her sensei had just disappeared into the surrounding fog, leaving her alone with her teammate. Her mouth was dry, her palms were sweaty, and her heart seemed to skip several beats. What held her attention was…provocative to say the least.

Sasuke and Naruto both stood there. The Sharingan of the Uchiha heir burned with intensity. The whiskered blond sported his trademark grin, his gleaming white canines bared perfectly. However, it was not the looks of the two that got to Sakura, no, it was where those looks were being directed…at her and yet not. A second Sakura seemed to exist, pressed tightly between the two, Sasuke in front and Naruto behind. The contours of both boys' bodies melded perfectly with those of the girl they jointly embraced as they stood there, all three as naked as they day they were born.

"_W-what…what is this?"_ the pink haired genin barley got out as she stared at the three before her.

The upper body of both Naruto and Sasuke were revealed in their finest detail, picture perfect matches of what Sakura had seen when the two boys had shucked off their shirts during prolonged sparring exercises. The slightest bit of shadow carefully hid the area set between their abs and their knees, teasing her with the unspoken promise of discovering parts she had never seen before. And yet the same shadow hid nothing of her. The Sakura that stood there, pressed between the two, was an exact replica of the vision she saw when examining herself in the bathroom mirror. The same long, pink hair, the same small nipples perched on a chest that had yet to hint of developing breasts, the same tiny birthmark that lay just under her left hip bone.

"_**Everything you want," **_the second Sakura suddenly answered, turning her head so her lust filled green eyes made contact with those of the Sakura who could do nothing but stand and watch. _**"Everything you need,"**_ she said before reaching out with her right hand to grip the back of the Uchiha heir's head and pull him into a full mouth kiss as his hand moved to clutch her hips. As the two pushed and pulled with and against one another, Naruto reached up with his own hands to let his fingers play across the second Sakura's chest. His fox like grin on his face the blond boy pinched the two small buds he found before that same grin split so that sharp white teeth could bite down on the soft flesh that lay at the base of the pink haired girl's neck.

"_**Aaaaah!"**_

As the cry of ecstasy was let loose Sakura only wanted to close her eyes and cover her ears. _"This isn't happening. I-I…I'm not seeing this."_

"_**Oh, but you are," **_the voice noted seductively as the second Sakura suddenly appeared behind the original to rest her chin on the girl's right shoulder, the image having disappeared as a result.

"_Stop it! Shut up!" _Sakura thought furiously, pushing away as the voice, so much like her own, suddenly filling her mind with cruel laughter. _"Get out of my head!"_

"_**Don't you mean 'our' head?"**_ the second Sakura asked, her voice heavy with cynicism. _**"No, that's not completely accurate. It's more mine than yours."**_

"_W-what are you?"_

"_**I am pure, I am true,"**_ inner-Sakura replied in a sing-song voice before it darkened, _**"I am every part of you."**_

Before she could even contemplate a response Sakura felt herself pulled forcefully to the ground. Landing roughly on her back the girl did not see the serrated chain that passed over her. What she did see was raven black hair and Sharingan eyes staring directly into her own sea-foam green. Looking into those eyes Sakura felt herself beginning to get lost within them, the memory of the _vision_ tickling at her mind, but such thoughts disappeared as she was suddenly rolled to the side by the young Uchiha that was perched on top of her.

'Crunch!!!'

The sound of concrete breaking tore Sakura's vision to the side. Only a few feet away, where her head had just been lying, the gauntleted fist of one of Meizu was pulling out of the shallow divot its impact had created. Eyes widening in shock the young genin suddenly caught movement in her peripheral vision. Gouzu was shooting out of the mist, the serrated chain attaching him to his brother reeling him in with tremendous speed. Gripping Sasuke, Sakura did what the young Uchiha had just done, rolled them away as Gouzu's gauntleted fist smashed down where they had just been mere moments before.

Coming to a stop, Sakura found herself on top as her eyes staring into Sasuke's Sharingan once again. Before the two could have a 'moment' the sound of steel on concrete grabbed their attention. More by luck than by design their little rolling escapade had placed them mere inches from where the excess of the Demon Brothers' chain laid, excess that was being pulled in as the former chunin readied for another strike. Having somehow held onto their kunai despite the 'fun' they had just had, a shared glance communicated the unspoken idea that both had suddenly realized. Pushing apart both genin raised a kunai only to sink the pieces of highly tempered steel through a separate loop of the chain each.

With her kunai sunk an inch deeper into the concrete than Sasuke's was, Sakura allowed herself a small smirk of pride. That pride increased as the chain pulled taught and the kunai anchored it firmly.

"Don't get," Meizu began as Gouzu finished, "too cocky."

"We're just getting started," the twins remarked in eerie harmony as they disappeared back into the mist.

Moving into a crouch as she pulled out a new kunai, Sakura swallowed hard as the screams of men being killed by an invisible foe in a narrow alley came back to haunt her. This was just like before, a fight for survival.

"_No, not like before,"_ the young Haruno promised herself as she readied herself and tried desperately to forget the screams and the blood of that night.

One thing stuck in her mind as she got to her feet, however, was that perverse vision and the voice that was her own and yet not. She didn't know where that had come from. That both terrified and yet at the same time some small part of her was thrilled by it. The fact that had happened while her life was on the line made it that much better. For some strange reason, right now, at this very moment, with her life on the line, she felt more alive than ever before.

Letting out a small giggle before gripping her kunai as tightly as she could for reassurance, Sakura wondered, _"Am I going insane?_

Unbeknownst to the young genin, deep in her mind something answered with nothing more than depraved laughter.

* * *

Surrounded by the thick mist Kakashi let the mature Sharingan that was his left eye dart back and forth scanning for even the slightest hint of his opponent. He had distanced himself from his genin and Tazuna, not wanting his battle to spill over and place them in anymore peril than they were already in. Sasuke and Sakura could handle the Demon Brothers; at least he hoped they could. They were dangerous but nowhere near as dangerous as their master. The real puzzle though laid in the fake hunter-nin of Zabuza's group.

That one, a teenager by the name of Haku if he had heard Zabuza correctly, was a real wildcard. There had been no mention of a fake hunter-nin in the latest Bingo Book's entry regarding Momochi Zabuza. That meant that this Haku was either a fairly new addition or very, very good.

"_How good is the real question? Almost succeeding in faking Zabuza's demise using only senbon showed incredible talent. Then the fight that Naruto had with him, that ended in a draw, but only because of what appeared to be a tactical retreat," _the Copy-nin carefully reflected. _"Did he retreat because Naruto outmatched him or was it to make sure he could report back information? Is that boy the link to Zabuza discovering Naruto is a Shugorei? Do they know more than just that?"_

That last question contained what really bothered Kakashi. Zabuza had only mentioned the Shugorei, nothing about the Kyuubi no Youko or about Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage and Naruto's father. However, that didn't mean that he wasn't aware of those aspects. Even if the Devil of the Mist only knew about the Shugorei it was still one thing more than he should've known. Naruto's heritage was supposed to be a secret. Sasuke knowing wasn't much of a problem; the Uchiha heir had already known and could keep secrets. Not to mention that he and Naruto were a perfect match as peers and friendly rivals. Tazuna, Tazuna would need to be questioned thoroughly if he actually managed to survive this ordeal. The old bridge builder owed them greatly already and there was still the matter of renegotiating payment for the mission. That left Sakura. The entire situation with Sakura was simply one big mess and to have this added to it…. No, he couldn't think of that now, not while he was being stalked by a mist shrouded predator.

He could sense Zabuza around him but that wasn't very helpful seeing as how the mist had been generated and was, consequentially, laced with the former Kiri-nin's chakra. From his time spent as the ANBU Captain of the Assassination Division, Kakashi had a keen understanding of the style used by Zabuza. The art of silent killing was practiced by many Mist-nin but few had developed it to the same deadly degree as 'The Devil of the Mist'.

"_Luckily Zabuza likes to over-focus on his target of interest,"_ the grey haired jounin silently noted, recalling what facts he knew about his opponent, _"Being his target means that I can keep him away from Sasuke and Sakura. I hope those two can…."_

"Are you having fun Kakashi?" Zabuza mocked from somewhere in the concealing mists.

"Loads," the Konoha jounin replied dryly. "Why don't you get rid of this mist so we can share it?"

"Ah, but I never did…."

Hearing Zabuza's voice trail off Kakashi tensed. Suddenly the sixth sense he had cultivated as a shinobi screamed at him. Bursting forth from the mist to his right flank Zabuza came, slicing horizontally with his massive blade.

"…like to share!" the former Mist-nin declared, aiming his sword to bisect his opponent at the waist.

Leaping up over the attack Kakashi immediately let his right hand pull a kunai from the holster on his thigh. However, instead of attacking with the sharply pointed piece of steel the Leaf-nin lifted his left upwards as far as he could. Using gravity to his advantage as he descended, the former ANBU Captain released the tension in the muscles of his left leg, delivering an axe kick that would have done Gai proud. Feeling his heel crash into the top of Zabuza's skull Kakashi wasn't surprised to feel wetness as it gave. He was even less surprised as instead of the warm stickiness of blood his opponent burst apart in a splash of water. Landing in half a crouch the Konoha jounin whipped his right arm back, releasing the kunai he held and sending it flying into the sternum of the Zabuza that was approaching to deliver a debilitating overhead chop. Just like the first, this Zabuza burst into water as well.

"Very good, very good Kakashi," Zabuza chuckled deeply, still hidden amongst the mist. "You saw through my clones easily this time. A trait of your now exposed Sharingan perhaps?"

"Hardly, one doesn't need the Sharingan to see through such old tricks," Kakashi answered, guessing that his opponent had probably been researching the infamous Doujutsu since their encounter several days ago.

"Oh? You missed the fact that you were speaking to a Mizu Bunshin earlier if I recall correctly," the Devil of the Mist taunted, "And that was when you didn't have that damnable eye exposed. Perhaps without it you aren't as good as you are made out to be."

Before he could reply Kakashi was once again forced to dodge as another Mizu Bunshin came charging in, this time joined by two others, all three coming in from different sides and angles. Rolling to the side to avoid a strike that gouged the concrete that had been under his feet the Konoha jounin formed several quick seals. Clapping his palms together as electrical tendrils began to dance across his forearms Kakashi ducked under another blade before pivoting and striking out with his left hand.

"Raikyuu!"

With that shout Kakashi directed the hand-sized ball of lighting directly into the stomach of an incoming Zabuza. Not waiting to see the water burst forth Kakashi leapt into the air once again as the two other clones slashed their blades through the space where he and their fellow clone had just been. Almost hanging in the air as he reached the apex of his jump Kakashi spied the opening he needed. Pitching the ball of electricity held in his right hand down towards the bridge the jounin watched as it struck the puddle of water left over from the Mizu Bunshin he had just destroyed, the puddle that the two other water clones were now standing in. The effect was almost instantaneous, both clones bursting as the electrical current surged through them.

Twisting in the air as best he could Kakashi landed several feet away from where the now larger puddle of water still crackled with a small electrical charge. The sound of pleased laughter met his ears as the grey haired Konoha-nin stood up and let his gaze sweep over the present mist.

"Wonderful, simply wonderful," Zabuza crowed. "I take back what I said earlier, you are indeed a worthy opponent Kakashi. I have seen the Raikyuu before, but that foolish weakling Raiga needed his swords to conjure it and he was limited to a single shot at a time. He was so pitiful that…."

Remaining silent Kakashi stretched out his senses as Zabuza prattled on about the weakest member of Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen.

"_That's it, keep talking,"_ the Copy-nin silently gloated, seeking to narrow down where Zabuza was located from the sound of his voice._ "For a silent killer you sure love the sound of your own…."_

Once again his sixth sense alerted him to the danger, although this time Kakashi barely had time to duck as the finely honed edge of Kubikiri Houcho came in. Moving as quickly as he could Kakashi felt the swish of the blade on the tips of his grey hair; it wouldn't surprise him at all if he was missing a few inches of his grey mane now. Setting any thoughts of needing to see a barber later aside, Kakashi lashed out with a sweeping kick. However, instead of finding the ankles of his opponent as he had expected his right foot cut through nothing but air. His Sharingan eye widening as he caught the barest fraction of a chakra shadow left in the spot his leg had scythed through the Copy-nin dove sideways, barely making it before the heavy blade crashed down and sank deeply into the concrete. Rolling into a crouch Kakashi pulled several shuriken out and let them fly. As he did so the infamous Konoha-nin noted the difference in form of the chakra of his opponent. This Zabuza was not a clone.

Heaving with considerable strength, to pull his partially buried sword out of the concrete into which it had plunged, Zabuza let out a thunderous bellow. With pieces of the gray composite material flying up with the momentum of the pull that had dislodged his sword the Devil of the Mist turned his back to the incoming steel projectiles. Flipping the massive cleaver over onto his back Zabuza seemed unfazed as a series of 'pings' and 'twangs' sounded as Kakashi's throwing stars impacted with the wide flat of the large sword.

Forming seals Kakashi was suddenly halted from his task, a second Zabuza leaping in with its sword held high. Not having the time to start a new set of seals or to finish the ones he had already started the Copy-nin leapt forward. Grabbing the wrists of what was clearly a Mizu Bunshin and stopping the downward swing the Konoha jounin brought his right knee up hard, connecting with the clone's gut. As the clone leaned forward heavily and let out a gasp, a reaction that in a real person would have signaled having the wind knocked out of them, the grey haired man released his grip on the wrists to reach toward a new target. Grasping the chin and the back of the clone's head in a viselike grip Kakashi gave a quick, hard twist. Its 'neck' snapped the clone dissolved into the water that had formed it.

His view no longer blocked Kakashi cursed silently. Zabuza had disappeared back into the mists once again. Worst of all the former Kiri-nin seemed to know enough to avoid being placed into positions where the Sharingan was most effective. Having turned his back to the thrown shuriken was evidence enough of that. Kakashi knew that most opponents would have turned with their weapon to block and then counter such an attack and in doing so stared directly at their attacker. Zabuza had not. The missing-nin had turned away and then flipped the large cleaver over onto his back to block the projectiles and in doing so never once turning so that his eyes would meet the Sharingan that resided in Kakashi's left eye socket.

"A valiant effort Kakashi," the voice of the Devil of the Mist echoed out from the substance that had helped to give him his infamous moniker.

Feeling a little goofy as he felt the mixture of adrenaline and other natural chemicals that made up a combat high race through his body Kakashi responded with a short laugh, "What can I say? A guy's gotta try."

"A fitting epitaph," Zabuza noted with a short bark of laughter before his voice took on a decisively darker aspect completely void of humor. "Too bad it's too long to fit on the thimble they will use to store your remains."

* * *

The air was thick, both physically and metaphorically, and Sasuke was fighting to calm his breathing. He was an Uchiha after all; he wasn't supposed to get nervous or worried in the heat of battle. However, that was exactly what he now felt. Spying what he thought to was a chakra shadow in the mist the genin tossed the two kunai he held. Catching the faint scrape of metal on concrete the boy knew that he had missed his target, if had ever been there to actually begin with. Sasuke hated to admit it, but his nerves were starting to get to him. His first real taste of battle had come in the port, but even then, what with the ambushes, explosions, and whatever that technique that girl had hit him with, he had at least been able to see his opponents. Playing cat and mouse in this opaque haze was far different…especially since he had the nasty feeling that he was the mouse.

Kakashi had disappeared into the mist several moments ago in order to eliminate the greatest threat facing Team 7, namely the Devil of the Mist himself. That left Sasuke and Sakura to deal with the two former chunin set against them; not an easy task by far seeing as how the Demon Brothers were like a pair of wraiths. The twins would appear and disappear at random, sometimes together, sometimes individually, and every time with nary a warning. Even with his Sharingan activated the young Uchiha was finding it next to impossible to track the two. With the charka laden mist everywhere he was only able to detect the charka shadows of the two just before they were on top of him and Sakura.

"_Single tomoe are almost worthless!"_ the raven haired genin scornfully noted, his frustration bleeding into anger and being directed at the only target he currently had available…himself. _"I carry the blood of the Uchiha Elite! I should've had at least two in each eye when I awakened it! He did and he was young…!" _

"Sasuke-kun!"

The warning from Sakura came just in time. Bending backwards at an almost impossible angle the young Uchiha barely dodged the clawed appendage belonging to one of the Demon Brothers, Meizu by the looks of breathing mask and twin horns on his forehead protector. Slapping his right palm down onto the ground Sasuke used it as a base to twist and swing his left foot up to catch the former Kiri chunin just under the shoulder. Using the momentum of the strike to roll over into a crouch the young genin noted that once again his opponent had disappeared.

"Sasuke-kun, are you alright?" Sakura asked, suddenly next to the dark haired boy, her back turned to him as he clutched a kunai in her right hand and swept her gaze over the mist surrounding them.

"Yeah…," the boy grunted out through gritted teeth, silently berating himself for letting his mind wander in the midst of battle…especially allowing it to wander to memories of _him_. "Damn fog is getting on my nerves though."

Getting back to his feet Sasuke knew that the fight was not anywhere near what he had envisioned. Having fought against Gouzu and Meizu once before and having been able to hold his own it had been easy to think that with the addition of his Sharingan he would be able to dominate them. However, the twins were showing why they had been elevated to the level of chunin, changing their strategy and tactics to utilize the environment, an environment that they were far more comfortable in than either of the two genin.

"_If only this damn mist wasn't here!" _the young Uchiha cursed, aware of his limitations.

The problem wasn't reserved to the mist alone. While the thick bank of water vapor did allow the two to hide it also served the function of acting as a delay. When he had unlocked his Sharingan yesterday morning Sasuke had felt a triumph and pride greater than any he had ever felt before. Kakashi had let him have his moment before stepping in to deliver some cold, harsh reality.

The single tomoe Sharingan in either eye gave him only minor abilities in comparison to the fully matured three tomoe Sharingan. With a single tomoe he could track opponents by their movements, seeing the faint trace of chakra that they gave off when their muscles tensed. However, he could not see the actual body of chakra or how it was molded to form jutsu. Without those abilities, abilities that would develop in the two tomoe Sharingan and be strengthened with the addition of the third tomoe, he could not yet copy techniques or see through Genjutsu. It also limited his ability to predict his opponent, only able to perceive them a split second before they actually moved. It wasn't much, but with the mists swirling about him and concealing his opponents it had at least evened the field slightly; Sakura could attest to that as the only reason she was still breathing was because he had pulled her down to avoid the serrated chain that the twins were using.

However, despite the fact that his single tomoe Sharingan were keeping them alive in this game of cat and mouse, there was a far greater limitation surrounding the Doujutsu. There was a constant draw upon his chakra while his Sharingan were activated. It wasn't much, but it was enough given how his chakra reserves were only a little greater than the average genin's. Sasuke had learned quickly through Kakashi's training that his chakra only lasted thirty minutes with his Sharingan activated and that was only if he wasn't using chakra actively for anything else. If he started using it to enhance his physical abilities Sasuke knew that the time he had to be combat effective would drop to twenty minutes. Add jutsu into the mix and things got really dicey.

"_What I wouldn't give for Naruto's chakra reserves,"_ Sasuke thought with a wry grin, recalling his friend's seemingly endless energy. _"Forget the extra power he gets from the Kyuubi and his Zanpakuto, just his regular reserves would be enough right now."_

"Any idea where Tazuna is?" the young Uchiha asked, back to back with his female teammate and suddenly wondering where the bridge builder had disappeared to.

"Dunno, lost track of him when that first attack came in," Sakura remarked, an odd smile forming on her face as she recalled being pinned to the ground by the boy she was back to back with. "If he's smart he's keeping his head down," the pink haired girl commented then adding darkly, "If _**he's not**_…well, he's probably _**missing**_ his head by now."

Before he could acknowledge what Sakura had said Sasuke took in a deep breath, running through handseals that were second nature to him. He had just caught the faintest hint of a chakra shadow within the mist. Feeling his cheeks puff up and his mouth burn slightly the Uchiha brought his left hand up in front of his lips, breathing out in the process.

"Housenka no Jutsu!"

Spitting out several balls of fire the size of his fists in a wide arc, Sasuke watched as they punched holes into the swirling mist in front of him. The sudden, muffled cry of panic that came afterwards brought a smirk to his face. He didn't know if he had gotten a full hit or just winged one of 'em, but right now it sounded like one of the Demon Brothers was trying desperately to 'Stop, Drop, and Roll'. At least he hoped it was one of the Demon Brothers, if he had accidentally hit Kakashi or Tazuna then….

"_Wait…Oh Shit!"_ the Uchiha heir suddenly realized something, something important. _"Where's that fake Hunter-nin?!"_

* * *

Standing on the railing to one side of the almost complete bridge Haku knew he should feel at ease. While his master, Momochi Zabuza, had created the majority of the mist that surrounded the structure the dense bank of water vapor was being controlled and maintained by the long haired teenager. The use of his advanced bloodline limit made the task a simple one and it allowed Haku to know everything that was happening throughout the fog. The fine droplets of water that made the mist resonated with him and he could feel them swirl as those within moved; painting in his mind a clear picture of everything that was occurring.

Almost exactly opposite from him, Haku sensed the old bridge builder. Tazuna, it seemed, had taken refuge behind a stack of steel girders and rebar on the other side of the bridge. The way the particles of water vapor surrounding the old man agitated told Haku that he was trembling fiercely as the battle developed around him.

For a moment the quiet teen thought about simply slipping over to where the man was hiding and finishing him off. Doing so would complete the main contract that they held with Gato and gain for Zabuza the sizeable sum that had been promised. However, Haku could not bring himself to do so for two main reasons.

The first was one he had dealt with ever since he had begun his training in the ways of the shinobi. Taking life, killing, was something that Haku simply could not do. He had tried numerous times over the years, but he simply could not bring himself to do so. Zabuza had tried to break him of this, to teach him to forsake his emotions, but still Haku could not do it, no matter how stoic or frightening he sometimes acted. The second reason, one that was more mission related was that Zabuza had given him specific orders. He was to maintain the mists that gave their little band cover. The only reason that he was to deviate from this was if the boy Zabuza believed to be a Shugorei happened to appear on the scene. If that occurred then Haku was supposed to contain the young blond by any means necessary. Zabuza wanted to fight the boy and….

"_Whoa!" _the fifteen year-old silently exclaimed in surprise as a fist sized fireball came close enough to almost the right sleeve of his battle kimono. The small ball of fire had been shot out so quickly and randomly with several others that he barely had time to sense it even with the assistance of his bloodline.

Hearing the sudden cry of panic and feeling the movement of the particles of water Haku knew that unlike him Gouzu had not been quick enough to dodge. From the way the former chunin was rolling he was pretty desperate to put out the small fire that had started on the oilskin cloak he wore.

"_Serves him right for playing around with his opponents,"_ Haku thought derisively. There was no love lost between him and the twins. Despite supposedly being allies they never got along, nor would they ever. Gouzu and Meizu shared the sentiments of many in Kirigakure and the Country of Water; those who carried Advanced Bloodline Limits were trash, albeit dangerous trash, but trash nonetheless. And in the xenophobic Country of Water it was policy to get rid of trash as quickly, as efficiently, and as gruesomely as possible.

Focusing his attention to the genin that the twins had squared off against, Haku was taken slightly aback. Both genin were pretty calm, only a few minor twitches here and there while moving only so much as to indicate that they were seeking to locate their adversaries. In contrast Haku could easily sense that Meizu and Gouzu, who had ditched his singed cloak, were furious. It was rather odd that the two would lose their cool over something like…wait, it seemed the male genin had suddenly become agitated.

"_Hmm, I wonder what he is thinking. Is he preparing to attack? No, the tension in his muscles is that of someone who is worried," _Haku silently observed; reading the fine nuances that came from the numerous particles of water. _"The girl on the other hand…."_

The female genin from Konoha was odd; her mood seemed to be constantly shifting. Right now she was calm and collected, but earlier she had shown a distinct aggressiveness only for her body to suddenly tremble with worry. That worry had been replaced with this odd calm that had a few breaks every now and then, breaks that held the same degree of aggression that she had held earlier. Normally the fake Hunter-nin would have chalked such odd behavior up to the girl not having the proper emotional control expected of one who pursued the life of a shinobi. However, this was not simply battlefield nerves or regular emotional turmoil on her part; this was different, something Haku could not place. Not being able to get a proper read on the girl was disquieting.

"_It no longer matters now though,"_ the boy thought silently behind his mask, quickly noting the movements of the Demon Brothers. _"It seems Gouzu and Meizu have decided to stop playing around."_ Knowing that the two Konoha genin would not last long against the ire of the twins Haku shifted his focus to the only person who mattered to him.

Towards the uncompleted end of the bridge his master fought with the Konoha jounin. Hatake Kakashi was an incredible opponent. The use of Mizu Bunshin was keeping the man guessing and negating some of the advantages he carried in his Sharingan eye. However, Haku could sense through the movement of the mists that despite being distracted and held at a distance the Copy-nin had just come perilously close to capturing and killing Zabuza.

Hatake Kakashi was a deadly foe and with every passing second Haku felt his stomach twist into a tighter and tighter knot. If it came down to it Haku knew what he must do. His duty, his life, was to serve Zabuza. It may displease his master, but if need be he would intervene to ensure Zabuza's victory over the Copy-nin.

"_Finish him quickly Zabuza-sama," _Haku silently implored, having the horrible feeling that the longer the battle continued the greater Hatake Kakashi's chances for victory became.

* * *

Standing there, surrounded by mist, Uchiha Sasuke reached back to the equipment pouch that rode just behind his right hip. He no longer heard the sounds of whomever he had hit with one of the fireballs he had just launched. That meant that they were either dead or, far more likely, they were pissed to hell and preparing to attack. Fingers deftly probing the canvas pouch the Uchiha heir felt the smooth surface of that which he had been seeking. Pulling the small vial out the raven haired boy popped the cork in order to shake free one of the black, pea-sized pellets. When he had been working on building his chakra reserves yesterday Kakashi had given him these soldier pills to help keep him going.

Composed of highly concentrated proteins and nutrients, soldier pills were often thought to allow a shinobi to fight for several days without rest. Truth-be-told the pills could do just that, if one took enough of them that is. However, doing so carried serious health risks. While the pills were composed primarily of proteins and nutrients they also contained a very powerful stimulant. Combined together in the pills these ingredients would give a temporary increase in the chakra of the user. The trade off for the extra energy was that it could cause what was known as 'chakra poisoning' if used too often in succession. What it literally entailed was that the chakra pathways would become stressed, constricting in the effort to protect themselves from damage and thus actually limiting the flow of chakra. With the buildup of chakra in the body not being circulated properly it would seep back into the internal organs. The organs, already stimulated into producing chakra, would soon become oversaturated. The affected ninja could experience something as light as a nasty stomachache and terrible cramps to something as severe as anaphylactic shock, heart failure, or brain aneurisms. Even if one was lucky enough to experience only the mildest side-effects it would still be debilitating, and for shinobi in the field, fighting for their very lives, any type of debilitation could easily be a death sentence. Such were the reasons why the issuance of soldier pills was carefully monitored and measured, with the proper warnings given as to their usage.

Knowing he had taken quite a few yesterday was one of the reasons why the young Uchiha hesitated to pop the small pellet into his mouth. Placing the vial back into his equipment pouch Sasuke knew deep down that he would need the boost, especially now that it seemed his opponents were getting ready to begin the real fight. Bringing the pill to his lips the raven haired genin hesitated once more, memories of a different kind of pill that he once enjoyed coming back to haunt him. Shutting his eyes in the effort to banish such thoughts Sasuke popped soldier pill into his mouth and swallowed before his mind deliberated more on the matter. Opening his eyes, the Sharingan blazed as a new wave of chakra rushed through his system.

"They'll be coming in harder and faster than before," the young Uchiha slowly remarked. "Sakura, watch out for the poison on their claws. We only have a few…."

Shifting his scarlet eyes over the mist in front and to either side of his position Sasuke stopped speaking as he caught something in his peripherals. It was not, however, the enemy that had captured his attention but rather his own teammate.

Down on one knee Sakura had her teeth clenched, face contorted into a pained grimace. The kunai in her right hand looked ready to fall from her loosened grip as her unoccupied left hand pressed over her left eye, fingers digging into the tresses of pink hair.

"Sakura?!"

"_What happened?! She didn't get hit, did she?" _Sasuke wondered, an unease rising up within him. _"No, I would've noticed if they had…."_

"I…," Sakura began, her uncovered right eye wavering slightly as it shifted to look at her raven haired teammate. "I…I'm…no. _**We're**_ fine."

Hearing the tremble in her voice and seeing her right eye clamp shut once again the young Uchiha heir felt a sense of worry creep into the pit of his stomach. He could fight the Demon Brothers, he might be a little shaken up and frustrated but he could at least do that he reassured himself. The last thing he needed was a liability. An injured Sakura was just that.

"Are you sure?" the boy asked, eyes narrowing slightly in concern.

Climbing unsteadily back to her feet Sakura responded uneasily, "Yes, _**We**_ are just…just a bit dizzy is all. _**We**_…. Guuurk!"

Whatever the girl meant to say was lost as a whip of water lashed out from the fog bank to wrap around her throat. Seeing the tendril of water and Sakura's face already reddening as it strangled her, Sasuke leapt forward. With a kunai drawn and ready to cut her free the young Uchiha closed quickly. However, it was not to be.

As he brought the sharpened piece of steel down a flicker of a chakra shadow caught his eye. Pulling back slightly and changing the angle of his attack Sasuke not only heard but felt the reverberating 'clang' of metal on metal as he impacted with Gouzu's gauntleted right arm. Pushing hard to avoid the razor sharp claws that were raking towards him Sasuke's attention was drawn away just enough that the former Kiri-nin's snap kick caught him squarely in the sternum with the force of a sledgehammer.

Flying backwards, the wind driven from him, Sasuke acted on instinct as he reversed his grip on his kunai. Hitting the ground the boy tucked his head to roll with the momentum. Coming up onto one knee, kunai prepared, he threw, aiming not for his antagonist but rather for the neck of his teammate.

Beginning to show signs of turning from red to purple as she was choked to death Sakura suddenly felt the pressure abate. Having flown straight and true the kunai that her crush had thrown had been a mere hairsbreadth from lodging in the side of her neck rather than slicing through the tendril of water that had been wrapped around it. Collapsing to her knees once again the girl could do nothing but let several hard coughs rack her slim build.

Fighting to draw in breath himself, Sasuke had little time to enjoy his success as Gouzu was on him in an instant. The elder of the twin Demon Brothers, minus his black poncho, let out a guttural cry as he tried to bury his steel clad fingers into the young Uchiha's skull. Ducking beneath the razor sharp claws the twelve year old genin felt the blood pounding in his ears as his chest ached and his lungs burned for air. Lashing out with a low, sweeping kick to try and back his foe off the only consolation that the boy found was that despite the ache in his chest he did not feel any sharp jolts that could warn of cracked and broken bone.

Sharingan blazing as his kick was easily hopped over the raven haired Uchiha wheezed out, "Bastard!"

Landing not on his feet but rather on his free left hand Gouzu paid little heed to the curse, concentrating primarily on not giving the boy an inch to breathe…literally. Sharingan eyes caught the trickle of chakra push out where palm met concrete. Spinning like a top the gasmask wearing shinobi stuck out his right hand to give the top a razor's edge.

His eyes wide at the maneuver Sasuke tumbled backwards in a desperate attempt to avoid being shredded. Flipping over his hands slapped the concrete as he pushed into a backwards handspring that would take him away from the sharp whirling death spinning towards him. Springing up into the air the young Uchiha's eyes caught sight of a chakra shadow rising up and over the rotating missing-nin. He had forgotten that Gouzu wasn't alone and was reminded of that fact as Meizu came in, claws at the ready.

Hanging in the air Sasuke knew he had no way to dodge. Chest aching, the boy desperately tried to pull in air only for his diaphragm to seize up and spasm. Coughing as what breath he had gathered violently left him Sasuke reached desperately to the kunai holster on his thigh…only to come up empty.

"_No!"_ the boy thought furiously, realizing that in the midst of the fight he had forgotten to keep track of his kunai. It was a rookie mistake and as Meizu closed, the claws covering his left fingers ready to tear into the genin, Sasuke knew that the shuriken in his hip pouch might as well been several miles away instead of several inches. The younger Demon Brother was closing too quickly to utilize the throwing stars effective-….

"Sasuke-kun!"

The cry of his name disrupted the still moment of death that the Uchiha heir believed to be coming. The barrage of shuriken that slammed into Meizu's side, diverting his strike and dropping him hard onto the bridge, completed the job. Landing in a crouch the raven haired genin turned his head slowly to where the shout and shuriken had originated. Sakura was back up on her feet, already moving to recover from throwing the star-like projectiles.

For a moment the Uchiha sat in stunned disbelief. He had considered that Sakura would lend him assistance in battle, but he had never really thought she would actually ever save his life. Warn him perhaps, as she had done before, but never actually physically intervene to save him. Although…now that he thought about it she had gotten in sync with him earlier to avoid having their heads bashed in and then take away one of the Demon Brother's preferred weapons. Perhaps it was that he was used to her being so ditzy and fawning at times that he had yet to reconcile seeing her serious side.

"_If I didn't know better I'd swear there were two Sakura's," _Sasuke thought, as Gouzu stopped his spinning to focus on his downed brother. _"But that's absurd."_

Able to ease the ache in his chest and properly breathe once again, the young genin didn't waste time. Sakura's strike had bought them some time, but the way Gouzu was growling as Meizu levered himself up on his hands and knees it was clear that it was only a temporary respite. Moving over to where Sakura waited the boy could clearly see the welts on her neck from where the water whip had been wrapped. She was also eyeing him in a way he had never seen before, a look that he could only describe as being…_hungry_. Other than that she seemed to be perfectly….

"You look a little flustered," the pink haired kunoichi suddenly remarked.

"I'm out of kunai," noted the raven haired boy with a small smirk, "that's never happened to me before."

"It happens to a lot of guys _**We**_ hear," Sakura responded, a wry grin tugging at the corner of her lips, "nothing to feel too bad about."

Feeling the cheeks of his face flush slightly Sasuke could not seem to find anything to say to that particular comment.

"Here, you can borrow this one," the young kunoichi continued, that _hunger_ still in her eyes as she lightly tossed a kunai end over end to the boy. "If you don't return it though," she paused a moment to let her eyes rove over him before locking with his Sharingan, "_**We**_ may just have to collect something else in return."

Feeling a small shiver course through him as the pink haired girl eyed him, Sasuke wasn't sure whether to be apprehensive or receptive towards such a prospect.

Things just never seemed to remain simple anymore, did they?

* * *

"Any new messages?"

Sitting in a chair behind her map table Princess Ryoko, the Benihime of Fire Country, was not in a particularly good mood this morning. Tai-sa Yatamaro Shin, her Executive Officer, knew this without even hearing the cynical tone of her voice. He had been called to her tent the night before when she had received a message scroll from Konoha that was signed by the Sandaime Hokage himself. To say that she had been angered by what was contained in the scroll was an understatement. He had listened to her seethe into the early hours of the morning before finally tiring. Truth be told he was surprised that she was even awake now and holding this meeting of the regimental commanders whose units had linked up with her own _Irregulars_. He was only up and moving because he had downed several _very_ black cups of coffee that his aide had prepared for him.

However, standing in the command tent with several other high ranked officers around him, Shin knew that the question that had been asked had been directed solely at him.

Shifting his gaze down to the folder he held open in his left hand Shin answered, "There is a short missive from the commander of the _34__th__ Light Foot_. It appears that Tai-sa Ohta and his regiment plan to be here around noon this day."

"Oh, how grand," the Benihime remarked mordantly, "I guess I should feel honored that he has finally decided to grace us with his and his regiment's presence."

"Begging your pardon Hime-sama," one of the other commanders present interjected suddenly, "but with the _34__th__ Light Foot_ present we will have just about half of the ground forces that were determined to be needed for this campaign."

"Don't you think I already know that?!" Ryoko shouted, her anger and frustration having finally burst through what restraint she had left. "Seven! Seven out of the fifteen regiments that I require! If I should chance waiting for the other eight that are supposed to be coming with that fool Sado, I will waste nearly the same amount of time that I have already wasted!"

"Hime-sama, fifteen regiments was what was determined to be enough force not only to take Wave but also to hold it against any attacks by outside forces seeking to push us back," another regimental commander piped up. "To attack without our full complement would be…."

Pushing her chair back with such force that it easily tipped over and crashed onto the floor the angered princess growled, "Make no mistakes _gentlemen_, I will have Wave and I will have it well before the deadline my father put forward. I will not allow my victory to be taken from me. Not by you, not by Sado, not by Koga, and certainly not by some shriveled up old man who wears the mantle of Hokage!"

Pitting each and every commander in the room with a merciless stare Ryoko dared any one of them to contradict or question her on the matter. They all wore armor and carried their daisho and yet as the Benihime stood there, dressed in a fine silk tunic and pants with not a weapon on her, they were more school boys being disciplined by a teacher than commanders who had been hardened in battle and now led hundreds of men. Watching as men many years her senior shrunk beneath the gaze of the Benihime, Tai-sa Yatamaro felt a sense of pride knowing that she had picked him to serve as her second rather than any of these others.

Feeling a tug at his sleeve the Executive Officer of the Princess's Irregulars turned slightly to see one of his junior officers standing straight and firm. Catching the crisp salute that the young man was holding Shin merely nodded his head of salt and pepper colored hair in acknowledgement, more concerned with what the matter was than with protocol.

"Sir, this message arrived from the forward observation post."

Taking the folded slip of paper Shin noted that it was not a decoded copy of the original but the original itself. The coded message had been scribbled rather quickly by the looks of the handwriting, but it was still legible. Below the odd mix of numbers and letters that made up the current code used by the army of Fire Country was the translated message; seeing it rendered in such a way put a frown on Shin's face. Original messages and their translations were never kept together in such a manner because of the chance that if they were stolen the thief would have an easily readable key to the code.

A reprimand on his tongue Shin caught himself as he took a moment to actually read the message. Finishing the last word of the communiqué the burly Tai-sa stood in disbelief for a moment and forced himself tot read it once again to make sure he had not been mistaken.

"Chu-i, when did this…."

"Something more interesting grab your attention _Tai-sa_ Yatamaro?"

It was not the irritated tone of voice that caught Shin at that moment. No, it was hearing his rank and family name instead of the more familiar 'Shin', that Ryoko was more apt to use. The princess never did that unless she was well and truly pissed.

"Forgive me Hime-sama," Shin said, not letting his cool and calm demeanor break even for an instant, "but I believe that you may wish to see this." Walking forward to the table and handing the paper across Shin continued, "It is a message from the reconnaissance group that was posted to observe the bridge."

Clasping the piece of paper in her hands Ryoko proceeded to read the message that was written upon it. As she did so the anger that had graced her face was slowly replaced. By the time she had reread it a second time she was beaming in a way reminiscent of a child who had just received the perfect birthday gift.

"Gentlemen, ready your regiments," the Benihime ordered, the anticipation and eagerness readily apparent in her voice and in the smile she now wore. "We're marching on Wave today."

* * *

Perplexed.

Sitting outside Tazuna's home, his crutch laid carefully across his lap, Aburame Shino could find no other word for it. He was not surprised or confused or even bemused. No, he had felt such things before and this was nothing like them. At the moment Shino could only count himself being at such a total loss that 'perplexed' was the only way he could describe it. And being perplexed was something that he was completely unaccustomed to feeling.

Outwardly he knew that he appeared to be his usual normal self. That was what he was expected to be and what he, as an Aburame, had always been. As an Aburame he was a stoic pragmatist. If he ever encountered a situation where he found himself caught unawares he had been taught to follow logic to the most practical solution. Like the bugs that they lived in symbiosis with, the Aburame were systematic in their approaches to everything, problem solving being no different. It had never failed him in the past and Shino could count on one hand the number of situations in the entire recorded history of his clan when it had failed.

"_And as unique as he is," _Shino silently considered, _"adding Naruto to a list that contains the likes of the Kyuubi no Youko and the Shugorei may be a bit premature._"

Ever since he had first seen the young blond boy enter their classroom back in the Academy he had known that there was something…different, about him. Indeed, it wasn't every day that a complete stranger could set his Kikaichuu abuzz. However, even keeping that warning in the back of his mind as the blond boy entered into his circle of friends had not prepared him for what he had witnessed moments ago.

Naruto had left the Tazuna household barely a few seconds ago. The whiskered blond had been ready to depart as soon as Hinata had said she would accompany him. However, he had been delayed and subsequently frustrated as the young Hyuuga girl had rushed back into the stilt-legged house. As minutes ticked by Naruto had seemed to deal with his growing frustration by disposing of the corpses he had created, despite the fact that everyone present was staring at him and his handiwork. After watching the blond genin use a Katon jutsu that Shino had never seen or heard of, Hinata had finally emerged back out onto the dock wearing her small backpack. It seemed that the female Byakugan user had the foresight to pack as much medical supplies as she could carry.

Looking down the dock that connected the house to the shore Shino looked to the spot where Naruto had picked up Hinata bridal style before disappearing in the blink of an eye. Such speed…Shino had never thought someone his age could move like that. On top of that were the unknown jutsu that the whiskered blond had used as well as the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, a technique that was supposedly forbidden for anyone in Konoha under the rank of special jounin or ANBU.

Continuing to look down the dock the young Aburame shifted his eyes behind his sunglasses to look to the spot where Naruto's solid clones had piled up the remains of the thugs. No longer could he see even the faintest trace of the group that had shown up to kill them and take Tsunami hostage. The purple flamed fire that the whiskered blond had ignited had burned out and whatever ash remained had already blown out to sea.

The entire display by Naruto had been efficient, ruthlessly so. However, Shino could appreciate that. He was an Aburame after all and the Kikaichuu his clan had used for countless generations had left their mark on them in more ways than one.

Insects weren't like people. Insects did exactly what they were meant to do, efficiently, methodically, and with little hesitation. He had always suspected that Naruto was far better skilled than anyone else in their graduating class, but he had not anticipated the cold efficiency with which the other boy could dispatch opponents.

"_No, the designation of opponent carries with it the idea that one has at least the semblance of a chance to fight back," _the young Aburame coolly noted. _"Those men had no such chance. Against him they weren't opponents, they were targets."_

Despite coming to such a realization Shino felt no pity whatsoever towards the thugs. They had come with the intent to kill, to take hostages, and Kami knows what else. One did not do such things if one was not prepared to suffer the same.

"_But how was Naruto able to do all of that?"_ Shino wondered. Despite accepting what he had seen he was unable to answer that one question. _"There must be something that I'm missing, but what?"_

Aside from being perplexed by it Shino was also beginning to feel something else that was foreign to an Aburame…frustration. No matter how many times he reviewed the situation he kept coming back to the same questions. He was beginning to think that perhaps he had focused too much on the actual event in trying to find the answer…that perhaps the clues he needed lay elsewhere.

Moving away from the event that had transpired only moments beforehandShino began to pick his brain for ever little fact he knew about Uzumaki Naruto and every little thing he had ever observed about the blond. Unfortunately as he did so he began to realize that what he did know wasn't a whole lot. He knew small details, but nothing really substantive. Hell, now that he thought about it he recalled that he and the others still had little idea as to where Naruto actually lived in Konoha and that question had been raised weeks ago, back when they had graduated from the Academy.

"_Why did we never ask about that? We had ample time and chance to do so," _the bug-user began to question. _"So why didn't we….?"_

The muffled sound of raised voices coming from the house he had his back to interrupted Shino's train of thought as he began to wonder why neither he nor anyone else in his circle of friends had pursued the issue of where Naruto resided. Turning his head towards the closed door the young Aburame could hear the muffled noise intensifying and while he had yet to make out the words his Kikaichuu were beginning to get more and more agitated as they picked up the progressive amplification of the reverberation. Rising to his feet and slipping the crutch beneath his armpit to steady himself, Shino began to move towards the door in order to investigate, only for the solid piece of wood to swing open and nearly bean him in the face. Taking a step back, his Kikaichuu abuzz and ready to defend their 'nest', Shino silently contemplated the sight before him. Standing in the doorway Tsunami's son, Inari, was pointing a loaded crossbow at the bug-user's chest.

Being a young boy of only eight years Inari was far from intimidating. Standing there, with what appeared to be one of his mother's woks strapped to his head like a makeshift helmet, the boy almost appeared comical. The addition of a loaded crossbow cradled in his hands and the attendant quiver of bolts on his back, however, were far from funny. The crossbow was small enough that a teenager like Shino could've easily held it one-handed, but that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. The small device could kill a rabbit at twenty-five yards with one of its needle like projectiles. At near pointblank range Shino had little doubt that the bolt would penetrate his torso. The way Inari's finger twitched slightly near the trigger was not helping to alleviate the tense atmosphere that had swept out of the house and onto the dock.

"Inari!"

"Shino, lookout!"

Ignoring the cry from Tsunami and the warning from Kurenai, Shino merely looked down at the boy.

Staring past the end of his crossbow Inari gulped once before speaking, "G-get out of my way."

"What are your intentions?" Shino questioned, his voice holding its usual stoic tone, as if he was unfazed by the weapon pointed at his chest.

"I…I'm going to…," the eight year old began only to be interrupted by a stronger voice accompanied by a short growl.

"Stop him Shino. The Kid's gone nuts," Kiba stated.

Looking past the young boy in front of him, Shino spotted the other occupants of the house. Tsunami seemed so frantic and worried that she looked almost ready to pass out. Kiba was hobbling forward on his crutches as Akamaru growled lightly, already in position behind the eight year old. Kurenai, her mouth drawn in a tight line, was carefully inching forward so that she could grab Inari's crossbow with her good arm. It was easy to discern that they all wanted him to try and talk the boy down before it came to the point where he had to be _taken down_.

"What are your intentions," Shino asked once again.

Trying to standup just a little straighter, to look just a bit more determined and prepared, Inari responded, "I…I'm going to the bridge. I'm going to help. I'm…."

"Going to get yourself killed! Do you honestly think that…," Kiba began only to fall silent as Shino held up a hand.

"You seek to aid your grandfather and our comrades in battle," the young Aburame said more as a statement of fact than as a question.

"Hai."

"You would go alone?" the bug-user asked neutrally. "Even after all that you have said regarding Gato's might, after all the doubt you have professed, after all the fear you have shown? You would still go alone to aid others whom you have berated for daring to bring challenge to the status quo?"

Unused to the formal and proper manner that he was being addressed with and slightly unsure about the meaning of some of the words that the teen before him had used, Inari simply responded with a slow nod of his head.

Looking down into the young boy's eyes, seeking any trace of doubt that would put lie to his words, Shino found none. Instead all he found was the purity of conviction and determination. It gave him pause for thought.

"_So, he wishes to travel to the bridge, to where his grandfather toils and our comrades do battle. Has he truly accepted the fact that freedom is not free? Is he truly willing to pay the bloody price that it can exact?"_ the young Aburame contemplated before looking back into the boy's eyes and finding his answer. _"He understands fully that…,"_ Shino began to think before realizing something else._ "Naruto left for the bridge. The enemy is at the bridge. Naruto will engage the enemy. That means…."_

With a simple nod of his head Shino turned slightly on his crutch to let the boy pass. Slightly surprised by the act Inari looked to the teen unsure as to whether or not the act was genuine or a trick. Unable to look past the dark sunglasses that the stoic genin wore the eight year-old took a few hesitant steps forward.

"Shino!"

"Dude…What the Hell?!"

Hearing his teammate and his sensei the young bug-user interposed himself between the eight year old and the other members of Team 8.

"Forgive me," the Aburame boy began, "but I will not stop him."

"Shino, you are bordering upon insubordination," Kurenai warned as she neared the doorway. "Step away and…."

"The rules that govern us as shinobi are clear, loyalty to the mission first." A light hum suddenly becoming audible as Shino calmly spoke. "I shall accompany and assist him in his endeavor, thus fulfilling one of the primary objectives of our mission."

"_And an objective of my own," _the glasses wearing genin silently added. _"Insufficient information on a subject necessitates further observation of that subject."_

"Shino…," Kurenai stated coolly, the warning hanging in the air.

"Dude, this ain't assisting in the mission," Kiba remarked in disbelief. "It's…."

"It is helping to ensure the safety of Tazuna and the completion of his bridge," Shino countered.

"Stand down," Kurenai ordered, her red eyes having narrowed dangerously. "I let Hinata go, but you… you aren't in any condition to fight. I will not allow you to endanger yourself and others by purposefully entering a combat zone in the state that you are in."

"Inari, please," Tsunami interrupted, looking past Shino to where her son stood. "Please just…."

"I'm sorry Kaasan, but I have to do this," the eight year old responded. "Jiji…Tousan…they…." Pausing for a moment Inari bit his lip before exclaiming, "I'm going to fight, just like them, I'm going to fight back! I'm not going to be afraid any more. I'm going to protect you, our home, and everyone with these two arms of mine!"

Silence descended upon the dock and home as the small boy stood there, firm in his conviction, radiating a strength imparted to him by the man he considered a father and by a certain blond haired ninja who semmed to have a flare for complicating matters.

"He is quite determined…and rightly so," Shino stated, breaking the silence of the moment. "How can we in good conscience allow him to go alone?"

"We're battered, broken, and tired," Kiba stated, Akamaru letting out a small whine.

"That has never stopped you before," the sunglasses wearing boy calmly replied. "Unless…unless all those times before were mere bluster?"

Looking through his dark glasses Shino calmly met the narrowed, angry gaze of his friend. He watched as that gaze measured him and weighed the implications he had given voice to. If there was anyone he knew how to read it was….

"This is Pointless, Stupid, and Insane," noted the feral looking boy before letting out a resigned sigh. "Alright, let's go."

"Kiba…."

Ignoring his jounin instructor the tired Inuzuka focused on his teammate, asking, "So what're we gonna do, beat the enemy over the head with our crutches until they surrender?"

"Perhaps," the young Aburame answered. "But I had thought that we might improve our chances of winning if we recruit additional support from Inari's countrymen."

"Oh, is that it?" Kiba derisively wondered. "And here I was thinking we had already gotten our share of impossible tasks."

Turning slightly towards the shore Shino spoke, "I believe this is one of those situations where we, as you so eloquently like to put it, 'just need to try harder'."

"You know I can't remember how many times I've told you to lighten up and take more chances," the young Inuzuka remarked, giving his head a little shake in amused disbelief. "You picked a fine time to start listening to me."

Watching Shino tilt his head slightly as he began to hobble down the dock Kiba recognized the gesture as being the bug-user's equivalent of a shrug.

"C'mon Akamaru," Kiba stated, looking to his canine companion and receiving a small bark in return, "We're…."

"Stop!"

Hearing the command both Konoha-nin and the small, white dog turned to see a glowering Kurenai.

Debilitated as she was the kunoichi was still their superior in both rank and skill. She had held back from stopping Inari by force only because she had been uncertain as to whether or not she could stop him without actually injuring him, a civilian child. She held no such compulsion regarding her two insubordinate students even if they were already injured. They knew the consequences for disobeying orders in the field. Kakashi might turn a blind eye to disobedience from his students, but she did not.

"You two will stand down this instant," the red eyed kunoichi ordered. "If you don't then…."

"Empty threats are meaningless now. Our comrades have already entered into combat" Shino interrupted, his voice still as neutral as ever. "This course of action is the best support that we can provide."

Looking into the dark glass that hid her student's eyes the female jounin spoke through gritted teeth, "There will be consequences…."

Already starting back down the dock, Inari walking in front as Kiba and Akamaru moved to follow, Shino calmly remarked, "As there are for all things."

* * *

"They'll be coming soon."

"Yeah," Sasuke responded, looking across the short expanse separating him and Sakura from the Demon Brothers. "They seem pretty irked."

Irked was describing it lightly. Gouzu and Meizu were glowering heavily, ready to tear the two young ninjas to shreds. And while the two Konoha genin couldn't be certain, it seemed that the two ex-chunin were violently gnashing their teeth behind their breathing masks.

Keeping his Sharingan eyes upon the two former Kiri-nin Sasuke reached back with his free hand to his equipment pouch. Finding the small vial of soldier pills once again the Uchiha heir licked his lips as he pulled it free. Popping the top and freeing one of the pellets the boy quickly swallowed it. He had a plan and if it was to be successful he would need the extra charka.

"You good to go?" the raven haired boy asked his teammate, all the while maintaining discipline and not taking his eyes off the enemy. There was no need to ask more or to explain what he meant. One of Kakashi's favorite strategy drills was to pit the two of them against a Kage Bunshin using Naruto.

"_**We're **_ready whenever you are," Sakura replied, a smirk drawing up one corner of her mouth as she had deduced what needed to be done.

"Alright…," Sasuke whispered as he slipped his borrowed kunai into his thigh holster, "…GO!"

At the single word Sakura charged, her pink tresses whipping back as she ran full tilt towards the Demon Brothers. Bringing her hands together the young kunoichi made a simple seal as seven more of her suddenly 'poofed' into being. At the same time Sasuke began to run through handseals as rapidly as he was able to.

Slightly surprised by the sudden rush of the young kunoichi, Gouzu and Meizu quickly shook it off, scoffing as she created her group of Bunshin. Flexing their razor sharp fingers the two didn't bat an eyelash as the group of pink haired girls came within three yards of them before darting off in every direction. Circling the two ex-chunin and weaving past one another as pink hair fluttered the group was almost like a swirling mess of their creator's namesake.

"Foolish…," Meizu began. "…Girl," Gouzu finished. "Do you honestly expect to confuse us with such a rookie trick?" the twins spoke simultaneously.

As if to illustrate their point the Meizu struck out with his gauntleted left hand suddenly. Razor sharps fingers spread out the missing-nin moved quickly to grasp one of the pink haired genin by the neck only for his hand to pass straight through the false image. The widening of his eyes in shock at having guessed wrong remained as he suddenly caught sight of something in his peripherals. Coming in from his right flank, and now only a few inches from his face, was a kunai. Attached to the sharpened piece of flying steel were three, already burning, explosive tags.

"Meizu!" Gouzu cried out, tackling his younger brother, barely making it in time.

The kunai and its deadly attachment flew overhead as the two brothers landed heavily on the ground. Reaching up with their arms to cover their heads and protect themselves the two waited for the explosion that was to come. It would come in less than a heartbeat considering the tags had already been burning, but as they lay there on the concrete Gouzu and Meizu easily counted several seconds as their hearts pounded. Hearing and feeling nothing other than their own muffled breathing and the thump of their racing hearts in their chests the Demon Brothers poked their heads up to see the kunai lying a few feet away from their prone forms. The 'explosive tags' had burned away to nothing.

"A…" Gouzu began. "…Dud?" Meizu finished as the two looked at where the gray papery ash had fallen.

"Not quite."

Turning their heads towards the source of the voice, the former Kiri-nin spied Sakura standing alone several yards away. Before they could think to question the girl's remark the two heard another voice.

"Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Seeming to hang in the air several feet above them the Demon Brothers spied one Uchiha Sasuke before the boy was eclipsed by a massive ball of fire. Lying prone and tangled in each other as they were, the twins could only let out a pitiful cry as the sphere of flame crashed down upon them.

Up in the air Sasuke did not relent as the cry disappeared amidst the roar of the fire. Instead the dark haired genin continued to pump charka into his jutsu, increasing the size and heat of the inferno he had created. Already hovering, kept up by the force of his charka infused exhalation, the Uchiha heir felt himself slowly begin to rise as he poured on the power and dark orange flames began to become a clearer shade tinged with white. Down on the bridge the concrete began to chip and crack as the high temperature pervaded it.

Standing down on the bridge Sakura could feel the warmth of the flame even though she was a good ways off from it. Gazing into the heart of the blaze as it intensified she could barely make out the shape of the Demon Brothers anymore.

"_**Serves them right for daring to attack Us,"**_ the pink haired kunoichi reasoned.

"_How can you say that?!"_ Sakura demanded, horrified by what she saw, by what 'the other' had made her accomplice to. _"No one deserves…."_

"_**No one? No One?!"**_ the darker aspect boomed in rage as Sakura's face seemed to twist into a snarl. _**"What of the one who killed those whom We accompanied, the one who threatened Us, who would have raped every part of Our being and left Us a broken shell and slave?! What about HIM?!"**_

Being reminded of that night not too long ago, of the monster and his pet, made Sakura back down. She could not deny that she despised him and feared him more than anything else she knew. Even though she had not been violated physically she could not help but envisage what would have happened to her had Kakashi not shown up when he had.

"_I…I…,"_ Sakura tried to get out only to fail, tears forming in eyes as she sat within her own mind.

"_**Shhh," **_inner-Sakura calmed and soothed as she cradled 'herself' in the mindscape, as outside the young genin's face relaxed from its angry snarl. _**"It's alright now."**_

"_I…I'm sorry,"_ the pink haired girl wept as she was embraced. _"I'm so sorry…."_

"_**Shhh, Shhh, it's okay," **_murmured 'the other' before smirking, an act that was displayed on the face of 'their' body. _**"You're just weak you silly girl. That's why you have me…to do everything you are incapable of ever doing."**_

Sitting in her mind, feeling a charming comfort permeating her, Sakura could not help but be satiated even though she caught the meaning of the words spoken to her. She was beginning to feel drowsy, her eyes heavy and wishing only to close.

"_**That's it, just let go," **_inner-Sakura cooed lightly. _**"Fade away and take your weakness with you. That is the easiest thing to do…and you always do what is easiest."**_

"_Y-yes…easy,"_ the pink haired girl began to agree, closing her eyes as she felt herself become lighter and lighter. _"I…NO!"_

The sudden, alarmed outburst caught inner-Sakura by surprise. In an instant she felt the persona of the girl she had deemed weak and ineffectual pushing back, trying to take control once again. As wills clashed in the mindscape of the pink haired kunoichi on the outside her body seemed to lock up, her eyes blankly staring off into space.

Unaware of what was happening in his teammate's mind Sasuke finally cut the flow of charka that he was breathing out to create the blaze below him. Having expended a considerable amount to create a grand fireball that was nearly three times larger and far hotter than any he had ever created before, the Uchiha heir was almost immediately gripped with fatigue. Having angled his fall to place him outside the area that was still burning the boy was only saved from complete collapse by his foresight in having taken that second soldier pill.

"_That's the end for those two," _the boy silently noted, letting his Sharingan fade back to his normally dark eyes. _"Now there's only…. Sakura?"_

Having turned away from where the inferno he had created was only just beginning to die down the dark haired genin spotted his female teammate. Though tired and having turned off his Sharingan the boy could immediately tell something was wrong by the way she stood there frozen in place. Reaching a hand out towards her shoulder Sasuke's world suddenly exploded into a flash of pain.

Propelled violently away from his teammate the raven haired boy hit the concrete, landing roughly on his right shoulder and skidding several feet before pitching upwards only to slam down hard on his back. Trying to lever himself up into a sitting position from where he laid Sasuke fell backwards as pain coursed up and down his right arm. Grasping at his shoulder, where the majority of the pain resided, the Uchiha heir cringed as his fingers caused more pain to shoot through him. Wheezing heavily, the breath having once again been knocked out of him, the boy knew that he had at least dislocated his right arm at the shoulder, if not worst.

"Wha…What hit me?" the raven haired genin rasped.

"WE DID!"

Hearing the menacing, distorted roar Sasuke looked up only to blanch. Sakura was standing where she had been before, but she wasn't alone, on either side of the pink haired girl stood a Demon Brother. Both men looked horrid, their long hair having been reduced to a frizzy, ash like stubble, what clothing remained on their bodies was smoldering and did little to hide the large portions of their skin that at best was an angry red and bore weeping blisters and at worst looked like badly charred bacon. Only Gouzu appeared to still have his forehead protector and breathing mask, but they no longer bore the same sharp lines, rather looking softer and slightly fluid as if they had almost begun to melt. Meizu's face, in contrast to the almost snburned looking face of his brother, was mix of blisters and broken skin. The gauntlets that the two had used with such relish remained, though they were blackened completely. The uncovered hands of the twins, however, had not faired as well, being badly blistered and burnt with some of their fingers looking to be missing. Seeing the pair of twins Sasuke could hardly believe they were still alive let alone standing.

Shifting his eyes slightly towards where his flames were dying down Sasuke spotted a form in the epicenter of the devastated circle. Blackened and deformed, two pieces of structural steel lay there looking more like a lump of pig iron than the flanged I-beams that they were supposed to be. It wasn't hard to figure out that the Demon Brothers had somehow managed to pull off a Kawarimi before the flames had completely consumed them.

"_Why won't they just die already?!"_ Sasuke wondered trying to push himself up using only his left arm.

"Un-uh, that won't do at all."

Sasuke barely heard the words before he slammed backwards, his head bouncing on the concrete. Dazed the Uchiha heir could only scream as he felt something tear and grind into sternum.

"That won't do at all," stated Gouzu, pulling his clawed right hand back with blood dripping from the sharpened knuckles. "Your fire may have burned off all the poison, but don't worry," the badly burned man snarled, "We're going to make sure this is as _fucking_ painful as possible! It _will_ be long and you _will_ beg for…!"

"Hey! What the fuck's up with this bitch?!" Meizu yelled, interrupting his brother's threats. Having grabbed Sakura the younger twin had noticed how completely out of it she was, going so far as to wave his blistered hand in front of her face in the effort to get a reaction. "Lights are on but no one's home." Having said that the badly burnt young man reached out with his hand to grasp the pink haired girl's rather flat chest only for her to remain as blank eyed as before. "Yeah, she's definitely…."

"Don't touch her!" Sasuke yelled furiously, his Sharingan activating just as Gouzu stamped a foot down onto his chest causing the boy to let out a series of spasming coughs.

"Oh, so you're protective of your little girlfriend there?" the elder Demon Brother sarcastically asked, grinding what little remained of his sandal into the wound on the boy's chest as he continued to speak in a much darker tone, "Don't worry, we'll take good care of her…you can even watch."

Hearing those words Sasuke began to thrash violently, desperately trying to get the heavier ninja off of him. The only effect his efforts seemed to have, however, was to make the man laugh. Looking over towards the pink haired girl and her assailant Sasuke only thrashed harder with what he saw, making Gouzu laugh only that much harder. Having positioned himself to hold Sakura from behind Meizu dipped his blistered right hand down reaching for the edge of Sakura's dress as his razor sharp claws began to slowly slice the fabric near her left shoulder.

"Y-you're little boyfriend burned me…. He burned me badly," Meizu spoke softly, his voice faltering in a mixture of pain and anticipation, as he let his fingers wander. "I…I can barely feel anything. I…I don't even know if I'm still…_a man_. Y-you'll help…you'll help me to find out…won't you?" Bringing his tongue to lick his cracked and blistered lips the former Kiri-nin spoke into the girl's ear. "D-don't…don't worry. If…if I can't get it up anymore I…I-I'm sure I can find a pipe or something for…f-for you to get off with."

"No!" Sasuke cried out urgently clawing at the foot poised on his chest, his eyes shifting frantically between the younger and elder twin.

Licking Sakura's cheek, Meizu ignored the cry from the Uchiha heir. Pulling his tongue back into his mouth the badly burnt man smiled, causing his lips to crack and bleed further. His groping right hand had made it under his prey's dress and found where the waistband of her tight black shorts began. Feeling the elastic line the ex-chunin began to probe his fingers over it to find….

"Yeeeaaarrrggghhh!"

…A kunai now shoved so deeply into his right thigh that its tip was scratching his femur.

Pulling his hand back to grasp at the wound as he cried out in pain Meizu loosened his already weak grip. At that moment Sakura pivoted to drive her left elbow into the man's throat…hard. Cries being replaced by gurgles the missing-nin dropped down onto his ass as he clutched desperately at his throat. Eyes frantic Meizu suddenly focused on the unmoving form before him. Standing over him Sakura was like a piece of ice, hard and very, very cold. Her eyes were like fine malachite chips as they stared down at the man.

"Don't…don't _**cry**_. That…_**that's just**_ a wound," the pink haired girl stated, a disturbing smile crawling across her face as she fished her last kunai out of her thigh holster. "_**This**_…this is…. _**A KILL!**_"

Screaming that last part Sakura raised the pointed dagger and brought it down as hard as she could, aiming to drive it deep into the missing-nin's skull. However, just as the point of the sharpened piece of steel was a mere inch from the singed scalp Sakura was sent flying past her target.

Standing protectively over his younger brother Gouzu had his gauntleted right arm extended. The elder Demon Brother had just managed to run to his brother's aid. However, in his hurry he had made two mistakes. First, he had overextended his right arm, making it so the blow that had smashed into the pink haired kunoichi's face did not come from his sharpened hand but rather from the heavy cylinder that encased his forearm. Instead of killing her instantly by driving his fingers through her face and into her brain he had merely knocked her away. The second mistake was that in moving to aid his brother he had taken his foot off of his own target. And as a sharpened piece of steel bit into right side of his back it proved that the boy he had pinned was not wasting any time.

Having tossed his kunai with all the force he could muster from his left arm Sasuke did not bother to wait and see where or if it hit. The raven haired genin was too busy dashing towards where Sakura had landed amidst a pile of scrap steel that had been tossed to the side the day before by Tazuna and his men. Climbing over pieces of rebar and pipe the boy found his female teammate, her clothing had been torn in several places and a number of bad scratches from the rough edges of the metal adorned her body. Reaching carefully towards her unconscious form the Uchiha heir noticed the large welt on her forehead that was beginning to swell and turn a dark reddish purple indicating bad bruising.

Cautiously moving what pieces of metal he could Sasuke bit his lip as he tried to clear things away from Sakura. The way she laid there unmoving, battered and bloody, brought hated memories flooding back. At that moment he felt as weak and afraid as he had when he had been on that single, terrible night only a few years ago. No, he didn't feel like that, he felt worse. He had promised, had promised himself and the spirits of his parent and clan that he would be strong, that he would no longer need saving, that he would triumph over any foe and not allow harm to come to those he had grown to cherish.

"My fault…," the young Uchiha began to murmur, taking Sakura's hand in his own. "My fault…I'm still too weak…. It's all my fault."

"YOU!" a voice thundered across the expanse of the bridge. "I'LL KILL THE BOTH OF YOU!"

Turning his head, Sharingan eyes still activated but tearing up, Sasuke looked to see a half crazed Gouzu boiling with rage. On the ground next to his feet his younger brother lay very still and Sasuke could no longer detect the sounds of gurgling that had been coming from Meizu. Watching Gouzu raise up his right arm and then his left to point directly towards them Sasuke quickly noticed that the elder Demon Brother had appropriated his sibling's gauntlet.

"I-I'll kill you, I'll Kill You, I'll…," the former chunin from Kirigakure repeated maniacally. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

As the man let loose the scream Sasuke watched as the man's charka erupted, becoming visible to even the unaided eye. Flaring up Sasuke realized that the missing-nin was drawing on ever last bit of strength he possessed. Reaching awkwardly around his back to his equipment pouch the Uchiha heir dug his fingers in trying to pull out every last shuriken and caltrop he had. However, as he pulled a few out the dark haired boy caught a fluctuation in his enemy's charka shadow. Unsure as to what to expect Sasuke watched as the shadow shifted forward towards Gouzu's gauntleted forearms.

"DIE YOU FUCKERS! DIE!"

As Gouzu screamed gears, mechanisms, and various springs in the gauntlets clicked and whirred, spurred into action by the rush of charka. Hands splayed open palm flat the missing-nin aimed the heavy pieces of metal towards his targets. Or more importantly he aimed the holes that were situated below his hands, the holes where the chain that had once connected him to his brother had been.

Seeing the charka shadow around the gauntlets grow and remembering a small tidbit he had read in his clan's scrolls regarding the puppeteers of Sunagakure saved Sasuke and Sakura at that moment. Reaching down to flip up a wide piece of scrapped sheet metal Sasuke braced himself as senbon began to shoot out rapidly from the holes on the gauntlets. Laughing like a lunatic Gouzu sprayed his target with needles despite the makeshift shield that had been erected.

"Shit," the Uchiha heir seethed through his teeth as he tried to desperately keep the piece of metal up under the onslaught, a feat that was proving difficult given he only had proper use of his left arm. Behind him seemingly unaware of the danger Sakura remained unconscious. "Shit!" Sasuke snarled, the deadly rain of senbon hammering away at their shield in a cacophony of noise. Desperately trying to think of something, the raven haired genin's eyes widened in horror as dimples began to form on his side of the shield indicating that the senbon were beginning to find penetration on the piece of sheet metal. "SHIT!"

"Wa-Hahaha-HA! That's it, THAT'S IT!" Gouzu hysterically screamed amidst his laughter. "I'LL GET YOU! I'LL GET YOU! I'LL GET YOU LITTLE BOY AND YOUR LITTLE BITCH TOO!"

Hearing the screaming and laughing of the demented and distraught missing-nin Sasuke cringed. He knew the shield he had would not last much longer, the indentations were growing larger and extending out farther. Soon the senbon would make it all the way through and fill him and Sakura with just as many holes. He had very few options and he knew it.

Looking back to the pink haired girl, the only sign that she still lived being the slight rise and fall of her chest, Sasuke made his decision. Turning slightly and gritting his teeth as pain shot through him as he braced the sheet of metal with his dislocated right shoulder the Uchiha heir pulled a few pieces of rebar loose from the pile. Wedging them as best he could to keep the makeshift shield propped up the young genin turned back one last time.

"I'm sorry," the boy began slowly, letting his fingers lightly touch Sakura's cheek, leaving small smudges of dirt and rust. Pulling his hand back and grabbing one last piece of rebar near his knee Sasuke licked his lips and swallowed, his mouth having gone completely dry. "But this is the only thing I can do now."

Tightening his grip on the piece of rebar the young Uchiha leapt sideways past the cover of the shield. Pushing off of the loose fragments of metal the boy felt the smooth concrete of the bridge beneath his feet as he ran.

"WHERE YOU GOING?!" Gouzu taunted, pivoting slightly to track the genin as he continued to laugh. "YOU'RE DEAD NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO!"

Muscles aching as he pushed charka into his legs to get as much speed as he could Sasuke could hear the light sound of metal hitting concrete behind him. Focusing his charka down to his feet to gain traction the Uchiha planted his right foot pushed to cut hard to the side. Repeating the process with his left foot only moments later Sasuke continued alternating between the two, zigzagging in order to stay one step ahead of Gouzu's projectiles all the while taking him closer and closer to the depraved missing-nin.

"_Just a little more.... Just a little more!"_ the dark ahired genin chanted to himself, twirling the piece of rebar in his left hand as he ran. If he threw it he knew he might only wound the man or worse, miss him completely. That meant he had to get in close in order to drive the jagged point of carbon steel home. _"Just a little more and…NOW!"_

Cutting hard one final time Sasuke bolted straight towards his target. At that moment fortune seemed to smile upon the Uchiha as Gouzu suddenly pulled back his right arm, a high pitched whine emanating from the gauntlet indicating that the mechanism inside had somehow jammed. Using the opportunity presented to close the distance Sasuke watched as Gouzu seemed to realize the danger, turning his still functioning left gauntlet directly into the boy's path. Shifting his body to bring his dislocated right arm forward to act as a shield Sasuke felt the stinging impact of the senbon. The needles were thin and lacked the mass to knock him down, but if he took many more he might collapse from pain and die of blood loss.

Pushing with his legs to drive the few extra feet the young genin readied the pointed piece of rebar he held in his left hand. Fighting to keep from stumbling as two senbon shot into his right leg just above the knee, Sasuke launched himself forward for the last two feet, raising his left hand and his makeshift weapon up with the intent to impale the missing-nin straight through the chest. However, at that same moment Gouzu brought his right arm back around.

Stars exploded in Sasuke's vision as the gauntleted forearm smashed straight into the left side of his face. Catapulted several feet the boy hit the ground once again before rolling to a stop. Somewhere along the way the piece of rebar had escaped his grasp. Lying on his front, his left eye beginning to swell shut, the raven haired boy looked up as he heard the slap of feet on concrete despite the ringing in his ears.

"_No, NO! I…I've gotta get up!"_ the young Uchiha thought rapidly, trying to rise only to collapse back down. _"Not like this…NOT LIKE THIS!"_

Stalking forward Gouzu seemed almost gleeful as he moved his left arm to be directly in line with the boy's head. "Awww, too Bad, so Sad, Good-…."

The elder Demon Brother's taunt ended abruptly as he himself was suddenly sent flying to the side. His right eye widening in shock, his left eye having swollen completely shut, Sasuke was at a loss for words. He had truly thought he was about to die.

"-Bye…," Naruto unknowingly finished for Gouzu, staring at where the missing-nin now lay after having received the full force of a Shunpo driven elbow smash to his face. Flopping off of where she had been riding upon the secret Shugorei's back Hyuuga Hinata stumbled slightly, fighting dizziness, having never consciously traveled via a flash step before.

Staring at the two newly arrived genin Sasuke bit his lip. He hated being rescued, but….

* * *

Standing on the railing of the bridge Haku knew exactly what was happening. Despite how the dense fog covering the bridge obscured the view he could sense it as clearly as if he was actually the one carrying it out. His Kekkei Genkai was filtering the information to him with ease as molecules of water shifted and changed.

Gouzu and Meizu had played with the Konoha genin and even after they had started getting serious they had still underestimated the two. They had paid the price for it the way Meizu was now lying still on the cold concrete while Gouzu carried on like a madman. However, Haku could also tell that the two genin were not in much better shape. The girl seemed unconscious and the boy…the boy was doing the best he could not to die at Gouzu's hand while attempting to kill the noisy lunatic, but that best just didn't seem to be enough.

"_You were ordered to get rid of them and retrieve the Uchiha's eyes, not screw around and then attempt to rape the girl,"_ Haku thought heatedly as he sensed the scene unfolding.

While the twins were his comrades he had no love for them. Even if it hadn't meant violating his orders he still would not assist them. Haku was certain that if Gouzu should somehow survive Zabuza would finish the crazed man off anyways.

"_Serves the both of you right,"_ the fifteen year-old mentally spat.

The masked teen would have continued to silently deride the twins, but the sudden shift and swirl of the mists drew his attention immediately. Gouzu had just been knocked flying by a tremendous blow. He could make out the source of the blow and it was a presence he had done battle with before.

"_He's here."_

* * *

"You've done enough."

Hearing the blond boy's voice Sasuke turned to see that the boy was continuing to stare at where Gouzu was lay spasming.

"I'll make him pay," the whiskered Shugorei darkly promised as he glanced in his friend's direction.

Unable to say a thing Sasuke watched as Naruto started towards the barely conscious missing-nin. The Shugorei heir was not using Shunpo, rather he slowly and methodically stalked towards the downed man. Sasuke cringed slightly and it was not because Hinata was starting to dress his wounds using supplies she had pulled from the backpack she wore. No, he had cringed because he had recognized the look in his best friend's eye.

Naruto was out for blood.

* * *

**AN:** _I'm back and to clarify, no, I am not dead nor is this story up for adoption. Things have been quite busy for me, far more than usual. First there was the U.S. Presidential Election. That brought several academic projects for me and a couple of my peers in my department as we tried to offer arguments against a prediction model created by the head of our department. And of course that was complicated by how the election season was thrown askew by the Wall Street fiasco. Then there was my having to move to a new apartment, which is very nice but it took several days to pack up, move, and then unpack everything. Then there was this girl I've been dating off and on trying to pull some entrapment shit on me. Luckily I had some really good friends to help me out by clearing the situation up and saving me from making a very, very bad decision. And now I'm going into my final semester of Graduate School so I've been concentrating on finishing my Master's Thesis. To top it all off the screen on my laptop shorted out and now I'm waiting on it to get repaired, process that is taking far longer than the 3-5 days promised me seeing as how I sent it to the shop right before Christmas and it is now after New Year's. Anyways, I'm finally able to get this chapter posted after editing and rewriting it several times. (I can't remember how many times it seemed that lost whole sections of it.)_

_Now this chapter is a bit longer than most of my previous chapters. Truth be told it is actually cut down. It was originally going to be twice as big, but I made an editing decision to divide it in half. Now I know some of you like the large chapters that I write, but even you have to agree that a chapter that tops out at 400kb and 53 pages in Microsoft Word using 9pt. Verdana font is a little much. I had originally only wanted to cover the Bridge Battle in two chapters, but seeing as how huge the chapter became it has instead become a three parter. Not this is some great news for all of you. Because I divided the chapter I now have the next chapter basically done. I'll take a couple of days to reread and edit it, by the end of which my laptop will be repaired hopefully, before posting it. So look for the next chapter coming out sometime next week._

_I would also like to take a moment to thank the many of you who have reviewed; your words are very encouraging and keep me writing. I would also like to thank the many of you who PM'd me to ask when this chapter was coming out and if I was still writing. All of you were polite and friendly in your messages and that is a far better motivator than derogatory flames. I especially would like to thank __Servant of Jashin_ _and_ _snowecat__ for the PM's they sent, acting as reminders that everyone was still waiting to find out what happens next. The both of you deserve a pat on the back from every reader of this story._

_Thanks everyone for reading and as always…comments, critiques, and feedback are much appreciated._

_**Tyrchon**_


	23. Chapter 22: Dead Heroes Part 3

**Disclaimer:** Naruto, Bleach, and all other intellectual properties are the rightful property of their respected owners and creators. I am thankful to them as I play with the elements and realms that they have labored to provide us with.

This work contains elements that warrant a mature rating of 'M'. Discretion is advised to all potential readers. You have been forewarned.

* * *

_**Duty, Honor, and Truth**_

_**Chapter 22 – Dead Heroes (Part 3)**_

_**

* * *

**_

Faith…a rather simple five letter word used to denote belief, trust, and devotion in or to some type of ideal. Often such ideals are fixtures of the divine, but then it is not unheard of for them to be completely and utterly, earthly in nature as well. Really it is such a simple word and yet wrapped about it are a multitude of complexities. Before the Elemental Countries, before The Empire, before The Catastrophe, from time immemorial, faith has played a role in nearly every aspect of humanity. From the feelings defined by this word hope has sprouted in the darkest of moments and yet, at other times, countless numbers of atrocities have been committed in its name. Life and Death, the ultimate duality, are perpetually linked to faith it would seem.

It is this duality that one Hyuuga Hinata is trying desperately to reconcile within herself. Why? It is because she has had her faith shaken.

Kneeling upon the mist shrouded bridge the pale eyed girl barely pays any heed to the wounded genin at her side. He is an Uchiha, she a Hyuuga…it is natural to assume the history of their two clans is what causes her to ignore him at this moment. That, however, is not the true reason; she cares little for the enmity that should exist between them. The reason she pays him little attention is because her focus is on someone else, someone she has thought about nearly every day for the past several months.

The blond sword wielder advancing away from her and into the mists; that is whom her focus is fixed upon. This boy, a person she has known for less than a year is the one in whom she had unquestioningly placed her faith.

"_Naruto-kun…."_

But that faith has been shaken…and that terrifies her.

* * *

"Na-Naru…Naruto-kun!"

Racing through the scraggily treetops of one of Wave's swampy forests Hinata was already beginning to pant from exertion. For the last several minutes she had been pushing herself to the limit just to try and keep up with the boy only a scant few yards in front of her. The pale-eyed girl had never been one to complain much, a trait forced into her by virtue of her Hyuuga upbringing, especially not in front of the boy she not only admired but was beginning to believe that she….

"What?" Naruto responded, a bit more harshly than he intended as he turned his head slightly to look back as he leapt from a pine tree down to a partially submerged boulder, his pace not relaxing for an instant.

"I…y-you're, you're going too fast. I…I don't think I can…," Hinata tried to explain, her heart threatening to burst from her chest and her lungs burning for more air as she continued to run behind him. "I…I need to…I need to rest for a moment."

Cringing as she finally uttered the words the pale-eyed girl could not help but feel mortified. Dipping her head just enough to hide her eyes from the gaze she new stared back at her she inwardly cursed her own weakness as she continued to try and force her legs to carry her just a little bit farther.

"_I trained with Kurenai-sensei, so why? Why am I so weak?!"_ the young kunoichi wondered as she desperately tried to hold back tears of self-pity. _"I…I try so hard, but I…."_

"Yeah, okay," Naruto remarked, his voice oddly neutral.

Surprised by the statement and the tone it had been delivered in Hinata was thrown slightly off balance as the two came to a stop upon a small knoll. Off balance with a backpack crammed full of whatever medical supplies she could grab before they had left Tazuna's home the Byakugan wielding girl felt herself beginning to fall forward sharply as she tripped over her own two feet…only to suddenly feel herself being caught by strong hands.

"Easy," the blond Shugorei heir spoke coolly, the girl in his arms raising her head to look up at him as he lowered her onto her knees. "We're not far from the bridge."

Cheeks flush with both exertion and from having been touched by the boy she so admired Hinata began to apologize, "I…I'm sorry."

"No," the whiskered boy responded, turning away to stare off in the direction of the bridge. "I should be the one apologizing. Forcing you to try and keep up with me after you've been training very hard the last few days. I…I should have realized you weren't at 100%, especially with you nursing an injury."

Hearing the word injury Hinata drew a sharp intake of air eliciting a sharp pain from the center of her chest. Beneath her jacket, under her shirt, under the chest bindings she had begun to wear only a few months ago to cover her budding breasts, was a set of hideous bruises. Bruises left courtesy of one Haruno Sakura.

"I…I don't…," the dark haired girl began to deny only to stop herself as she noted how Naruto stood. She could not read people as well as others in her clan could, but with him, with Naruto….

"It was Sakura," the blond genin stated rather than asked.

"H…Hai," Hinata said dejectedly. "How…how did you…?"

"I didn't, but I suspected," Naruto answered, causing Hinata to realize she had inadvertently told him.

"Please…," Hinata began, "it…she wasn't…I was…."

Still looking off in the direction of the bridge the Shugorei heir acted as if he hadn't even heard the girl's poor attempt to explain. "She's been acting strange since our own mission went bad. Don't try to cover for her. If there is something the matter with her then…."

Hearing the boy trail off in such a way Hinata suddenly grew worried as she stared at his back. Her father and certain members of the Hyuuga main family would talk in such ways. Whenever they did it always meant that terrible consequences were not far off and that the person in question would be….

"Hiding things won't help her get better, right?" Naruto suddenly stated, turning to look over his shoulder with his usual wide smile.

Seeing that smile Hinata nodded, her worries replaced with reassurance. _"How could I ever doubt you Naruto-kun?"_

"Well if we're going to help Sakura than we better get to the bridge and save her and everyone else," the whiskered Shugorei stated cheekily, his fox like smile still on his face. "You ready to go Hinata?"

"Um…h-hai," the Hyuuga heiress replied, rising shakily to her feet. She hadn't caught her breath fully yet, but….

"Hmmm," Naruto hummed, eyeing Hinata critically. "I guess it can't be helped."

"Wha…Eeep!?" the short haired girl began to ask, suddenly worried that the blond was thinking the worse of her, only to flush with shock as he strode over to her and lifted her up into his arms as if she were his newly wedded bride, eliciting a startled squeak from her.

"Heh, I showed off too much at Tazuna's to try and keep things completely under wraps," the Shugorei known as an Uzumaki stated with a grin, acting as if he was unaware of the effect he was having upon the wide eyed girl blushing and stammering in his arms. "Best hold on tight Hinata."

Before the red faced, swooning girl could even register what had been said, let alone question it, she found herself being accelerated via Shunpo. With the world flashing by, only seeming to come into focus when Naruto stopped to take another step, Hinata let out a cry of fright and exhilaration. Several of theses sudden starts and stops seemed to occur, or at least that's what Hinata thought as her mind had been a little too overloaded to process it fully, before they seemed to come to a complete halt.

"You can let go now."

Wide eyed from the experience Hinata found that somehow she had managed to ball her fists in the blue and orange material that made up the vest and shirt Naruto wore. Letting out a short, startled sound Hinata released the white knuckled grip she had maintained as Naruto set her down.

"W-where…ohhhhh?!" the Byakugan possessing girl began to say, trying to rise to her feet only to sway as a wave of nausea hit her.

"Careful, the first time always makes one dizzy. The second time as well for that matter…, the third too," the boy remarked with a cocksure grin. "Heh, I guess its just best to say that traveling by Shunpo takes some getting used to."

"Shunpo? Wha-what is…?" the young girl began to ask, putting her head down between her knees in order to fight down the sour feeling in her stomach.

"It's a technique my clan developed long ago," the whiskered blond explained. "It's the reason why we are now so close to the bridge."

Hearing that they were close to the bridge Hinata lifted her head up from between her knees. What she saw made her eyes widen with shock, something that was becoming a major trend whenever she was around the blond genin. Instead of being on the small knoll just outside the swamp she now found herself on a rise in the narrow roadway leading to the bridge itself. In fact, from this distance she could see the end of bridge that connected to the island. Somehow Naruto had just transported them a few miles in what seemed to be only seconds. So astounded was Hinata, as her mind put this together, that she missed how she could not see the majority of the bridge because of the dense bank of fog that had rolled over it.

"Wha-…H-how…We were…," Hinata tried to get out, but failing as her tongue seemed to tie itself into knots.

"Using chakra to enhance the muscles a Shunpo user is able to accelerate to incredible speeds, though it does require quite a bit of control as well as great physical endurance and chakra reserves to use continuously," Naruto carefully elaborated, a small smirk on his face as he let drop some information. "A master of the technique can travel miles in a single step, but I'm not a master yet so it still takes me several steps per mile."

Mulling what she had just been told over in her head Hinata couldn't help but get the feeling she had heard the name of the technique before. As she tried to rack her dizzied brain to try and remember where she had possibly heard the word 'Shunpo' before, the Hyuuga heiress found herself thinking back to the short fight only a while ago at Tazuna's home. Naruto had struck with such speed. Seeing such strength from the boy had both excited and terrified her.

"_And then he spoke…to me. He asked me if I would come with him. Not Kurenai-sensei, not Kiba-kun, not even Shino-kun. No, he asked me,"_ the pale eyed girl recalled, not completely sure why she had said yes. Seeing him kill so easily, so coldly had terrified her. _"But he's Naruto-kun. I…I want to be by his side…to be strong, like he is. I…."_

"Hinata," Naruto stated calmly, breaking the Hyuuga heiress from her thoughts. "Did you hear me? I asked you if you could use your Byakugan from here to see what's happening on the bridge. I'd rather not go into this fight completely blind. So if you could…."

Flushing a deep scarlet in embarrassment at having spaced out when Naruto was talking Hinata began to stutter out a response when she noticed that Naruto had gone completely still. Unsure what was happening, all the young kunoichi could tell ever was that the blond boy's sparkling blue eyes seemed to be completely…unfocused.

"Ano…Naruto-kun I…," the Hyuuga girl began slowly, "I'm…I'm sorry if I've made you angry or…."

Before she could finish apologizing Hinata was interrupted as Naruto pivoted sharply, drawing his sword out in a single motion. Letting out a startled sound the girl only realized seconds later that a small pile of debris now lay at the blond genin's feet. Eyes widening slightly Hinata realized that said debris was actually the pieces of several arrows and crossbow bolts.

"Stay behind me Hinata," Naruto quickly commanded, his eyes now focused on the road leading away from their destination.

"Wha-what's…?" Hinata began to ask only to have her question answered as she saw the vanguard of a group of bandits coming towards them.

"Well look what we have here?!" a man that Hinata immediately labeled as the leader of the group boldly shouted. "Look's like you've got some talent, boy. Maybe we can come to some type of accommodation? Our boss, Gato, is always looking for talent and…"

Hearing the man continue to speak and seeing the group of fifteen or so bandits that he led Hinata began to fall into a fighting stance only to stop as she looked at Naruto. Naruto hadn't moved since initially drawing his sword.

"_What's going on? Naruto-kun…no, don't tell me he's hurt?" _Hinata began to silently fret as she focused on the blond rather than on the still talking bandit. _"If Naruto-kun is hurt then…."_

"Vermin."

The single word seemed to echo throughout the area. It pulled Hinata from her worried thoughts and silenced the leader of the group of thugs. Hinata wasn't even sure that it had been Naruto who had spoken until the boy repeated the word.

"Fucking Vermin," the blond genin stated coldly as he began walking towards Gato's hired goons. "I thought I'd gotten rid of the rest of the ilk earlier."

"H-how…How dare you! You little bastard!" the bandit leader seethed, "You're outnumbered and outmatched here, brat! Surrender and we may let the girl…!"

"So, you think you actually have some sort of strength," Naruto seemed to taunt, a dubious grin forming on his face as he bowed his head just enough to shade his eyes. "Such foolishness…."

"Why you little…!" the bandit leader yelled, bringing around a chipped and worn looking axe. "I'll…Urk!"

Coughing up blood the dirty looking outlaw dropped to his knees, his axe falling down next to him as a bloody blossom formed on his chest. Behind him, his Zanpakuto resting easily in his hand stood Naruto, looking for all intents and purposes incredibly bored.

"I'm getting so tired of killing vermin," the Shugorei heir stated casually, bringing Konoe up to tap lightly against his shoulder. "Honestly now, you guys stopped being interesting after I killed the first thirty or so…there's just no challenge left in dealing with trash like you. Now why don't you all take the hint and go play somewhere else?"

Rather than being cowed by the display of skill and the bit of killing intent being leaked from the Shugorei heir the outlaw group seemed to become incensed. Watching their leader tip over onto the ground, a pool of crimson mixing into the dust, the bandits' eyes grew wide with fury. Anger and a touch of fear, having destroyed any common sense they might have had, fueled the cry of rage that they seemed to utter as one as they charged the sword wielding blond.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata screamed in fearful desperation, however, as she uttered the cry the worry that plagued her was replaced with something else as she watched the boy move amidst the group of brigands.

Despite the numerous weapons aimed at him, being thrown at him, and being shot at him, Naruto seemed to move with an unhindered ease. Flowing with his Zanpakuto leading the way, the Shugorei heir slipped past a spear thrust to slice through the neck of one man before letting his momentum carry him to angle a diagonal slash that opened up the front of another man. Twisting to avoid a small axe that had been thrown at his back the boy cut down yet another of the outlaws, before moving onto his next target. On the outside of the group the few bandits who held shortly curved bows or stocky crossbows desperately tried to fit new arrows and bolts to their weapons as their companions were slaughtered.

Hinata could only stare as she saw men fall, first one, and then another, then two more, then an easy dozen lay on the ground amidst the growing red pools. Faster than she thought possible it seemed all the bandits lay dead…all except for one. A lone crossbow man had was all that remained, having tripped over the corpse of one of his fellows in his desperate, and poorly timed, attempt to flee. The man was quivering with fear, his weapon lying forgotten on the ground as he scrambled backwards away from the blond genin only to back straight into the trunk of a tree.

"And then there was one," Naruto stated calmly as he turned his full attention towards the remaining man.

"B-b-b-b-Ba…Bakemono!" the man cried out, pulling a small knife from out of nowhere and holding it out as if to ward off the sword wielder.

"Monster? Ha!" the Shugorei heir laughed before speaking in an easy manner, as if simply reporting the weather. "People have often called me a monster, but then I guess it is to be expected, no? Did you know that I can hear him? He's quite annoying really. Never satisfied, always pushing me for more, more blood, more carnage, more destruction. Even now he speaks, telling me to accept it…to accept _**Him**_."

"S-stay away!" the man cried desperately, the front of his pants suddenly taking on a darker tone as he lost control of his bladder.

"Let me ask you something," Naruto asked, a dangerous edge creeping into his voice as he idly tapped his right shoulder with the flat of his Zanpakuto's blade. "If I am a monster, what does that make you…you who prey upon those who can not fight, upon women and children, upon the old and infirm?! What Are You?! A Man?! A Piece Of Trash?! A Monster?!"

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata cried out, fear in her voice as she pleaded, watching the boy come to a stop in front of the trembling man.

Looking down at the man at his feet Naruto's eyes flashed red for a moment before a look of disgust crossed his face. "Tch."

Seeing the whiskered blond turn away Hinata felt a warm feeling of relief begin to creep over her. However, that feeling died as she suddenly noted that the crossbowman was dead. The small knife that the bandit had drawn in the vain attempt to ward of death had turned out to be the instrument of his demise. The outlaw had plunged the stiletto like blade deep into his own heart, his fearfully wide eyes continuing to stare at the spot where Naruto had been standing.

"_N-no…. There wasn't…," _the Hyuuga heiress thought frantically. _"Why? He…he was fine. Naruto-kun…Naruto-kun was going to let him go. So why? Why did he?"_

"C'mon Hinata," Naruto stated, head bowed slightly, having sheathed Konoe and walking back towards her and the direction of the bridge. "We have to…."

"Why?"

As if he hadn't heard the softly spoken word Naruto continued to walk, not bothering to reply.

"Why? Why did he…? Why did you…?" Hinata began to ask, her voice growing increasingly uneasy. "Na-Naruto-kun…why?"

"Hinata…prepare yourself," the Shugorei heir stated without any trace of emotion. "Once you use your Byakugan to see onto the bridge we will need to…."

"Naruto-kun!" the short haired girl yelled, raising her voice to the blond boy for the first time ever.

Stopping his slow gait Naruto came to a complete stand still only a few feet behind her.

"What?"

Surprised at her own temerity for yelling, as well as the fact that Naruto was speaking in such a short and cold manner, Hinata fell back into her soft stuttering, "Ano…it's just that…these men."

"What about them?"

"They…they were people," the Hyuuga girl spoke, trying to make her voice as firm as possible.

"So what?"

Standing there Hinata felt her eyes widen further in shock. It wasn't just because of the words that had been uttered or because of the cold tone that had accompanied them, but rather it was the fact that such a thing had been uttered by Naruto of all people. Naruto, the boy she admired more than anyone else. The boy whose smile brightened the day, whose crystal blue eyes enchanted her like no others could, who always seemed ready with a joke or kind word when it was most needed. Naruto, the one she believed that she…loved. How could he say such a thing?

"They're people!" the pearly-eyed kunoichi shouted, unsure now of all that she had ever seen or felt with regards to the blond boy as she took a few tentative steps towards him. "They're people! Just like those back at Tazuna's home! They were people too! How can you…?"

Turning without any warning the whiskered blond grabbed the front of the pale eyed girl's jacket just below the collar. Taken completely by surprise Hinata was terrified, screwing her eyes shut as she felt herself pulled forward and lifted up off the ground slightly by the boy who was only an inch or two taller than she was. Never in her worst nightmares had she thought someone so kind could be so violent. And now, Hinata feared, she had incurred that hidden wrath. Scared, the girl cringed, cracking open her eyes slightly and wishing she hadn't.

Naruto's face was twisted in a fierce snarl, his blue eyes blazing with cold fire as the pupils had somehow become slits.

"So what! They start conflicts with steel and fire and that is how we shall meet them and end them!" the whiskered genin growled loudly. "People?! Do you think men such as these make such distinctions?! Do you think they made such distinctions when they raped and murdered and took whatever they wanted from others?!" Naruto continued to bark in anger. "They only came here to kill and in turn be killed! To stab! To rend! To maim! To die! That is all there is and ever was to it! All of it!" snarled the cerulean eyed blond, not noticing how Hinata trembled frightfully in his grasp, "No one can change that! It is the one law that no one can break! Not You, Not Me, Not God, Nor The Devil Himself!"

Shaking, afraid of the Naruto before her, Hinata fought to keep tears from spilling from her eyes, her voice failing her, "B-but…."

Staring into those crystal blue eyes, now so very cold instead of shining with their usual warmth, Hinata couldn't find the words to continue. All she could do was continue to stare, her vision clouded by the salty tears that had begun to slide down the cheeks of her face and feeling her heart skip a beat just before Naruto screwed his eyes shut and gently released her.

"No, that…that is…," Naruto muttered before going silent as he brought up a hand to cover his closed eyes, taking in a deep breath as he did so before slowly letting it out.

As her feet touched the ground the young kunoichi watched as Naruto stood there. She was frightened. Never had she seen the boy she admired act in such a way, never had she seen him rage, never had she heard him mutter silently to himself…almost as if there was someone else present with whom he was speaking, and never had she seen his eyes so, so…. Was it because she was frightened that she thought that she had seen his bright blue eyes flash bloody crimson just before he shut them.

"Na-Naruto…-kun?" Hinata asked hesitantly, reaching her right hand out to the boy only for him to turn sharply back towards the bridge, his hand still over his eyes.

"We need to get going…," the blond haired genin spoke, his voice having taken on a softer quality as he let his hand fall to his side. "I…I'm sorry Hinata."

Hinata stood there quietly looking at the back of the boy. She could not see his face, as he did not turn to look at her. However, she knew, she could see it. The way his voice now sounded and the way his shoulders had fallen slightly, as if weighed down by a great burden…an innate sadness.

"Naruto-kun…," Hinata spoke softly, her mind a mess of thoughts as she tried to understand everything she had seen.

"Come Hinata," the boy spoke once again, the sadness still there. "Follow me…. As far as you can…."

* * *

She had followed. She didn't know why, but she had.

She had used her Byakugan, she had seen Sakura's unconscious form being protected by a desperate Sasuke, seen Kakashi playing a life and death game of cat and mouse with Zabuza, seen Tazuna hiding behind one of the cranes, seen the fake Hunter-nin silently standing on the railing of the bridge…as if waiting for something. Despite the being almost consumed with the fear of following the whiskered blond into battle she had made her decision, she had followed. Climbing onto Naruto's back they had flashed onto the bridge, Naruto hitting into the depraved missing-nin that had been attacking Sasuke and Sakura. And now…now Naruto was walking towards that same ninja, ready to end him.

As Hinata sat there looking to the back that still seemed to carry so much she knew that she had chosen freely to follow. Despite the fear, the anxiety, the not knowing, she had followed him. Just as she had chosen to follow him when asked at Tazuna's home, she had chosen to continue to follow him…and she could not explain why.

"_Naruto-kun…what are you hiding from us…from me?" _the Hyuuga kunoichi silently wondered as she worriedly watched the blond walk away.

"Hi-Hinata," Uchiha Sasuke suddenly rasped. "G-get these senbon out of me, I…I need to…."

Giving a small grunt in the negative Hinata shook her head as she took out one of the prepackaged painkillers she had grabbed earlier.

"Naruto-kun is…. He's going to…," the young Hyuuga kunoichi hesitated, unable to give words to that which she knew would soon happen as warm tears began to form in her pearly eyes. "I…. He's…. Y-you've done enough, Sasuke-san."

Trying to sit up and feeling a lance of pain shoot through him Sasuke ground his teeth as he spoke, "No. You…you don't…understand. That fake…the hunter-nin…he's …."

The warning that the Uchiha heir was trying to give died on his lips as he finally noticed what Hinata was holding in her hand.

"_No that's, that's…!" _the raven haired boy thought in a near panic at seeing the ampoule.

Struggling and trying to speak while fighting the pain racking his body the boy was unable to say anything before Hinata put the encapsulated needle to the side of his neck and pushed. Feeling the sharpness of the needle breaking his skin Sasuke opened his mouth, his breath racing before beginning to slow as a wave of relief splashed over him and clouded his senses.

"_Oh yeah," _the Uchiha thought contentedly, _"that's the good stuff…."_

"Rest easier now, Sasuke-san," the Hyuuga heiress said softly, watching the raven haired boy's right eye grow heavy, the left having already swollen shut with purplish bruising marring the eyelid and surrounding flesh. "Naruto-kun…Naruto-kun will…."

The young girl paused, her fears catching up with her as she tried to find any words or feelings of comfort that could not be misconstrued as a lie. She knew the truth. She knew that…that Naruto had killed people, was planning on killing even more people. He had killed those men at Tazuna's home and the men that they had encountered before arriving at the bridge, Hinata had seen him do so firsthand and just a few moments ago the blond had walked off into the mist intent on bringing even more death.

Kneeling there in the mists, the Uchiha heir's head cradled in her lap, the young Hyuuga maiden felt the warm trickle of tears rolling down the cheeks of her face. Her silence said everything.

* * *

Walking through the mists towards the downed ex-chunin was no problem. The thought of executing the man, a man who writhing in pain upon the concrete, a man who had dared to not only try and kill his comrades, his friends, but had grievously injured them in the attempt…Shugorei 'Uzumaki' Naruto had no problem with this. He wasn't sure which Demon Brother was at his mercy and he didn't particularly care, he would make the battered man pay the ultimate price for daring to harm those he cared about.

"**So interesting…so very interesting."**

"_Shut up," _Naruto mentally commanded only for a wave of dark, barking laughter to answer him.

"**Hahahaha…. What's the matter?" **the Kyuubi no Youko taunted. **"Are you not enjoying yourself? I most certainly am."**

"_I said, Shut…Up!"_ the whiskered blond silently snarled, the pupils of his cerulean eyes already dark slits.

"**And why should I?" **the Demon Fox queried, sarcasm dripping from its voice. **"You're troubled. Should I not offer my counsel to the one who not only holds his life, but my own in his hands?"**

"_**Your counsel is not needed…nor will it ever be," **_Konoe spoke up, coming to the aid of his creator. _**"You would do well to remain silent."**_

"**Ah, but I have already invested much into my keeper," **the Nine-tails countered, **"keeping him alive, rejuvenating him when he tires, healing even the most mortal of injuries…"**

"_**None of which were selfless acts on your part," **_the Zanpakuto retorted.

"…**giving him an edge in battle that no other mortal can ever hope to match," **the Kyuubi continued, having paid no heed to the interjection. **"I do believe I've more than earned the right to speak my mind…**_**Tool**_**. Not that it matters seeing as how both you and your master are mere ants in comparison to my own prominence."**

Naruto glowered at that particular comment. If there was one thing that the demon never tired of it was trumpeting its own horn. The Kyuubi no Youko took every opportunity it could get to espouse its greatness and just how lucky the Shugorei heir was to even be in its presence. Of course such moments were interspersed between its numerous demands to be set free and its attempts to take control.

"**Hmmm…silent are we now?" **the Fox remarked. **"What has brought this on I wonder? Hmmm…could it be…the pale-eyed female?"**

"_You Shut The Hell Up!" _Naruto suddenly shouted across his mental plane as he came to a standstill only a few feet away from his target.

"**Oh…seems I've found the root of your dilemma after all," **the Kyuubi mockingly chuckled. **"Bah! It figures…, we were enjoying ourselves so much, all that blood, the suffering, the screams of fear from those vermin as you tore through them…," **the demon spoke, as if it were a chef describing a delectable meal. **"But then…then she has to interfere, disturb all of our fun…the detestable wench!"**

"_Yeaaarggh!"_ cried Naruto in rage and frustration. _"Shut Up, Shut Up, SHUT UP!"_

Mocking laughter rolled through the blond Shugorei's head, his blue eyes blazing and beginning to take on traces of crimson as the Kyuubi seemed content to let its jailor's rage do the necessary work.

"_**Calm down…breathe, in and out…calm yourself,"**_ Konoe soothed, quickly repeating the mantra over and over for the boy. _**"You're the one in control, not him. If you let him get to you he'll only continue to…."**_

"_Don't You Think I Already Know That?!" _the Shugorei heir raged.

The taunting was nothing new, the Kyuubi no Youko tended to delight in the small bouts of psychological warfare it waged against its jailor, taunting was only one of the many ways it tried to shape and mold its container. Throughout the entire time in Wave the Demon Fox had never been too far below the surface thoughts of the blond boy's mind. It was always there, every time the young genin went hunting, every time he identified a new target, every time he cleaned the blood off of himself and sheathed his blade Naruto found the Fox there, taunting and prodding him, calling for more blood and death, delighting in the suffering of those who found themselves at the mercy of an angered and disgusted Shugorei heir. Naruto had almost gotten used to the subtle and not so subtle verbal barbs of the Kyuubi, almost getting to a point where he could ignore most of what the Fox said. However, one thing that the young jinchuuriki could not ignore was the way the demon would shift its chakra, pressing ever so slightly into his own chakra reserves and slowly increasing the pressure as the body count grew. That was something that Naruto could not ignore and it was one of the reasons he was glad that no one else accompanied him when he carried out his mission.

Earlier that morning he had felt it once again as he cut through the men Gato had sent to retake the nearby town and teach its citizens a lesson. Slicing one man in half, from crown to crotch, Naruto had felt the beginning of the pressure, the faint tendrils of crimson chakra worming their way into his system. By the time he had gotten to the leader, the only man left standing or in this case whimpering in a fetal position minus both of his hands, the blond genin could already feel the physical shifts beginning, his vision sharpening as his pupils slit, his mouth dully aching as teeth began to sharpen and his canines turned to fangs. It didn't help matters that he was angry, something that only helped to increase the pressure and make him actually desire to open the door to the crimson chakra. When he had found the small notion in the lead outlaw's mind that Gato had sent a different group to attack Tazuna's home and another to attack the bridge that anger had turned immediately into a mixture of fury and worry.

If there was one weakness that Naruto would admit to have developed since returning to Konoha it was that he had begun to truly care for the group of people he had surrounded himself with. If he ever admitted it Naruto was positive that the Sandaime Hokage would harangue him about how it wasn't a weakness but rather a strength. However, Naruto was Shugorei and Jinjiro had left his mark. The old Shugorei Lord had hammered into his great-grandchild the idea that the only people to truly care about were other Shugorei members, everyone else came second. By this logic Naruto had learned he could still have friends and enjoy the company of others, but such people were easily sacrificial in the matters of duty and honor. However, to willingly sacrifice his…_friends_, was something that Naruto could no longer be certain he was capable of doing…and that tore at his Shugorei core.

He had told Kurenai that he had been slowed because only the bandit leader had known of Gato's intentions and while that was certainly true it wasn't the only reason why the whiskered genin had been delayed. Naruto had taken precious minutes to calm himself, to school his features and push back the small physical shifts. Facing his friends with even the most minuscule indication that the Kyuubi no Youko was having an influence upon him, even if they didn't know that such was the cause, was not something he desired.

For the most part he had been able to keep the dark power at bay. Arriving at Tazuna's home he had resisted the urge to make the men who had dared attack his injured friends truly suffer for their offense. He had still cut them down without hesitation, but he had not prolonged their ends like the Kyuubi demanded.

And yet he had still snapped, shown Hinata of all people the true beginning of his darker side.

"**Hehehehe…the way she squirmed in your grasp," **the Demon Fox chuckled in its usual dark manner. **"Did it excite you the way she struggled and mo-…?"**

"_SHUT UP!_ _Don't you dare speak of her or any of them…Ever Again!"_ thundered the young genin only to be met with taunting laughter as the Fox enjoyed what it had accomplished, getting a rise out of its container.

Naruto did not fault himself for killing in front of his friends, they were ninja they had been born into and nurtured in a world based solely upon the taking of life. When he had left Tazuna's home the blond genin had easily noted the apprehensive glances that Kiba had thrown his way, Shino's simple Aburame stoicism behind dark glasses and a high collared coat, Kurenai's narrowed gaze of disapproval and concern as Hinata willingly came running out to join him, and of course the wide, glassy eyed stares from Tsunami and Inari. To be completely honest he really hadn't cared about what they were thinking of him and his actions, he had been too busy thinking about how his team might be faring against Zabuza and whoever else Gato had decided to send. What worry had been in his mind had been swept aside by an eagerness for battle, to finally get a real challenge as opposed to the cannon fodder thugs he had grown bored of killing, to finally show why everyone should dread facing a Shugorei upon the field of combat.

It was ironic really…he was afraid of letting his friends see the side of him that dealt with the Kyuubi no Youko and yet at the same time he had no problem letting them see the side of him that was pure Shugorei. However, he had come perilously close to crossing that line when he and Hinata had accidentally stumbled into the group of thugs that Gato had sent towards the bridge.

"_I shouldn't have brought her with me,"_ the Shugorei heir mentally remarked.

"_**It wasn't your fault,"**_ Konoe tried to counsel, even though such a statement wasn't completely true. _**"The heat of battle can…."**_

"_I yelled at her,"_ the whiskered blond replied sullenly._ "I snapped…at her."_

"_**What you told her…," **_began the Oni like spirit, _**"What you said…was not necessarily wrong."**_

"_I almost let it get the better of me…," _the boy sourly noted, _"…let 'Him' get the better of me."_

"_**But you didn't," **_the Zanpakuto returned. _**"You stopped before…."**_

"_But what if I hadn't?!" _Naruto suddenly interjected. _"A few seconds longer and…."_

To that Konoe did not seem to have an answer for his master and that was not lost upon the blond Shugorei.

Of all of the friends he had made in the Academy, Hinata was the one that Naruto would honestly say should not be a ninja. It wasn't that he thought her weak. No, the Hyuuga heiress did have skills and she could put up a hard fight when backed into a corner. However, Hinata lacked one essential quality…the ability to detach herself fully and act without hesitation. Sure, many of the other rookie genin lacked this quality as well, but in them Naruto at least saw it beginning to develop in some way. In Hinata he did not see it at all; in her he saw something else.

Hinata possessed an unrivaled level of compassion, completely absent of prejudice and preconception. To get on her bad side, to make her truly angry, was not an easy thing to do and Naruto doubted that few people, if any, had ever been able to do so. He himself could be kind, compassionate, and even merciful at times, but not to the same degree that she could be. Such a quality made the pale eyed girl a brilliant light in the darkness that shinobi such as himself lived their lives in. Such lights…were inevitably extinguished, often abruptly, and Naruto did not want to see that happen…not to her. Especially if it was by his own hands that such a light was extinguished.

"_What am I supposed to do?"_ the blond Shugorei dejectedly questioned himself._ "What should I be doing?" _

"_**Do your duty. As a Shugorei, as a shinobi of Konohagakure,…as a man," **_Konoe responded firmly, giving the only answer that he could while putting his all into blocking the sarcastic taunts of the Kyuubi from his creator's mind. _**"Do what you know is right…that is all anyone can ever ask of you."**_

"Do my duty," the blond genin mumbled, looking over to where his target lay.

Gouzu, despite the few minutes that Naruto had been stalled, had not moved much, having lapsed into shock. Of course having the entire side of one's face completely shattered could do that to a person. Closing the last few feet Shugorei 'Uzumaki' Naruto almost felt pity for the man who was in such terrible shape…almost. Deep within himself Naruto could feel the part of him that hated the man that lay at his feet, the part that wanted to make the man suffer, to make him pay for daring to attack and injure the members of Team 7.

Letting Konoe's tip come to rest upon the badly burned sternum of the former chunin, on the spot just over where the heart should be, the Shugorei heir looked down into the semi-glazed eyes of the former Kiri-nin.

"The death I give to you…is better than you deserve," the whiskered blond calmly said before raising his right fist and dropping it forcefully onto Konoe's pommel.

Gouzu's glazed eyes seemed to widen slightly as a few inches of soul-fired steel penetrated through his chest, passed through bone, and pierced his heart. It was into those same eyes that Naruto stared, watching them as the missing-nin's wheezed his last few breaths. The Shugorei known as an Uzumaki kept his gaze locked onto those eyes as he pulled his Zanpakuto out, having seen the dark pupils dilate for the final time. Still staring down at the corpse, the calmness of his expression betraying nothing, Naruto gave a flick of his wrist to discard the bit of blood that dripped from the tip of his blade.

"Your comrade…," the blond boy spoke as he glanced over his shoulder at the figure emerging from the mists. "…you didn't even attempt to stop me from killing him."

"My orders are very specific," Haku spoke calmly from behind his mask. "Helping him was not part of them."

"So you deigned to just watch instead," Naruto remarked his eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm not one to talk, but that's pretty cold."

Eyes narrowing behind his fake Hunter's mask, Haku still let a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth at the inadvertent pun made by the blond before him. Truth be told, even without his orders specifying that he was to observe the fighting, keeping the cloak of mist up, and only intervening should the supposed Shugorei make an appearance, acting only to delay and contain the blond boy, Haku had made the conscious decision not to help either Gouzu or Meizu regardless of the outcome. The actions and attitudes of the twins had annoyed and disgusted him for years. The brothers had made costly errors in judgment; their deaths were on their own heads, not his.

"He and his brother were not my concern…besides, by losing, they failed Zabuza-sama," the long haired teen noted without hesitation, having suffered their insults and crassness only out of loyalty to his master. "Zabuza-sama has no use for tools that have failed him."

Cocking an eyebrow Naruto gave a toothy smirk, "Tools eh? And what does that make you then?"

Unconsciously straightening himself and standing as tall as he could Haku proudly responded, "I am Zabuza-sama's most loyal and valuable servant. I have never failed him and do not plan on starting today."

"Heh," the Shugorei heir let out a short chortle of amusement. "A bit conceited, are we?"

"No, merely stating my intent…," the fake Hunter-nin answered plainly, "…Shugorei-san."

The small smirk that had been on his face disappeared as Naruto heard his foe. He was slightly surprised to be addressed by his clan's name, especially by someone not only from outside of Konoha but also from outside the group of people that he knew had such knowledge. However, despite feeling a bit surprised, and mildly curious as to how the former Kiri-nin knew his secret, Naruto had immediately schooled his features as he had been taught.

"Someone's been a busy little bee, haven't they?" Naruto rhetorically questioned, his voice having taken on a dangerous quality as he gazed through narrowed eyes. "Hn, just makes things easier for me."

Letting his face transform with the addition of a cocksure grin, Naruto spun Konoe in his right hand before shifting his hold on the hilt into a reversed grip. Shifting his right arm slightly so that the back of the blade ran the length of his arm before crossing behind his shoulder and back the cerulean-eyed blond settled into a stance he intuitively knew. Feet shoulder width apart with the right slightly back and the left just a bit forward to evenly distribute his weight the boy never let his eyes leave the masked face of the long haired Hunter-nin.

"Buchikowasu…," the blond Shugorei heir stated firmly, before shouting, "Konoe!"

* * *

Standing in the thick mists, playing a game of cat and mouse, Hatake Kakashi knew that this was one time where he could not be sure whether he was the proverbial cat or the proverbial mouse. His opponent, Momochi Zabuza, was just what one would expect of one of the Kirigakure's Seven Swordsmen, adept in his chosen environment and all the more dangerous for it. Hiding in the thick fog the Devil of the Mist was an expert in his craft of silent killing, something that was demonstrated by the fact that the former jounin had no problem attempting to goad his opponent using verbal barbs delivered by himself or a well conceived Mizu Bunshin. It was a technique that was both distracting as well as somewhat effective. Already Kakashi could count having destroyed at least a dozen of the water based clones thinking that they were his actual flesh and blood opponent, every time being nearly set up to be killed by the actual Zabuza.

"_Damn it!"_ the Copy-nin silently swore, having just cut the throat of yet another Mizu Bunshin before using the same kunai to block several shuriken. _"This is getting me nowhere fast! I've got to come up with some way of…."_

Kakashi was halted in his thoughts as he was once again forced to dodge the massive razor edge of Kubikiri Houcho. Readying his kunai as the large sword passed within mere inches of his chest the Copy-nin prepared to throw his kunai straight into the face of his attacker. Pulling back his arm as he caught sight of the bandaged face that was becoming somewhat familiar Kakashi faltered as both he and his opponent were buffeted by a near palpable wave of chakra. Thrown off balance by the sudden disturbance both men broke away from each other, leaping back several feet in order to try and put a _safe_ distance between each other.

"_What the Hell was…!"_ Kakashi began, before picking up and recognizing distinctive characteristic of the chakra. _"Naruto…."_

Kakashi breathed the name of his student out as he looked to where the wave had originated. Slightly confused and a little worried as to why the blond genin had suddenly made an appearance when he should have been patrolling the other side of the small town near Tazuna's home Kakashi nearly missed one vital change in his surrounding environment. Not more than fifty yards away the Copy-nin could clearly see the vague outline of a person as well as a slowly dissipating pulsar of light and chakra.

"Heh, unpredictable as always, only Naruto could…," Kakashi began with a chuckle before stopping as he suddenly realized that he was _seeing_ that the Shugorei heir had arrived and released his Shikai.

Turning hard on his feet to face where his own opponent should be Kakashi saw that Zabuza had also come to a certain realization. Already the dark haired man had screwed his eyes shut and formed the last few handseals of a jutsu.

"Mizu Kamakiri!"

Hearing the yell Kakashi spied the sudden rush of water that was rising up and slicing towards him, gouging up the concrete as it surged forward. Tucking into a roll to his left the grey haired shinobi slapped his hands down onto the now barely damp concrete, pushing chakra into his fore arms, elbows, and shoulders in order to launch himself into a massive handspring. Popping up into the air Kakashi immediately noticed two things. First, much of the water that had been splashed onto the bridge from him having killed multiple Mizu Bunshin was now gone. Second, Momochi Zabuza had already finished another set of handseals.

Left arm raised up over his head with his right hand position in front of his chest Zabuza suddenly called out, "Kirigakure no Jutsu!"

Taking aim at his opponent with an experienced eye Kakashi threw the kunai he still held in his right hand as a new wave of mist began to form. Landing in a crouch the Konoha jounin let a small grin form under his mask as he heard a meaty _'thwock'_ followed by a sharp grunt. He doubted that he had hit anything vital, seeing as the mist had reformed just as dense as before, but there was no doubt about it. This time his projectile had impacted with the real Momochi Zabuza.

"Give it up Zabuza!" the Sharingan wielding jounin called out, hoping to expand upon any advantage he may have just picked up. "You can't win!"

Deep booming laughter erupted from the pale haze as the infamous Devil of the Mist answered, "You think too highly of yourself, Copy-nin Kakashi. You've only managed to scratch me, nothing more. Soon you will lie dead, your head added to my collection, and I…I will be one step closer to getting what I desire."

"Blood money from a piece of trash," Kakashi noted, a hint of disgust in his voice as he tried to focus his senses and determine where Zabuza was and if the former Kiri-nin had managed to summon any new Mizu Bunshin.

"Ha! You know the history of my village as well as any shinobi, Copy-nin. You know full well that we of the Bloody Mist have never shied away from any mission so long as the price is right," the former Kirigakure Swordsman commented ghoulishly. "I do look forward to the _substantial_ amount that I will accrue upon completion of this particular job. However, while I am keenly looking forward to wringing every last Ryo from Gato before I crush his piggish neck, there is something else that has caught my interest, a bonus…if you will."

Kakashi's thoughts were racing. He knew what or rather whom Zabuza was referring to. The myriad implications that arose from the man not only knowing part of Naruto's heritage, but now actively seeking the blond boy out were too numerous to count. Having talked with Kurenai about her initial battle with the former Kiri jounin Kakashi knew that it was not beyond the man to simply want to sell the boy to the highest bidder. However, from the way Zabuza had often referred to Naruto there was another, far more compelling reason, for the man's interest.

"How did you find out?" the grey haired Konoha-nin all but demanded.

Once again a dark laugh echoed mockingly from the mists before Zabuza remarked, "Come now Kakashi, how many genin would knowingly dare to challenge one of Kiri's Seven Swordsmen in battle, even a former one?"

"You'd be surprised," the Konoha jounin flatly retorted.

"Perhaps, but then there was also the curious weaponry he used not to mention the jutsu he favors. Very few shinobi, let alone a genin, can use one-handed seals," the Devil of the mist rapaciously commented from within the fog. "Putting those clues together it was easy to narrow down the possibilities; you Konoha-nin have always had a soft spot for clans with special traits."

Reaching down with his right hand to pull a kunai out of his thigh holster, the second to last that he had contained there, Kakashi could not deny his opponents words. Konoha had more clans with Kekkei Genkai than any other shinobi village. Indeed, only Konoha had the history of full incorporation of such clans and individuals, beginning from the moment Senju Hashirama had taken up the mantle of Shodaime Hokage while making the decision to found Konohagakure.

"Did you know that we, Kiri's Seven Swordsmen, have always found the Shugorei and their swords to be of particular interest?" the former Kiri jounin questioned indolently.

"Do tell," Kakashi replied dryly, beginning to pick up slight disturbances and fluctuations in chakra; it seemed Naruto had indeed entered into battle.

While he was concerned for the boy's safety Kakashi knew he could ill afford to concentrate solely upon it. His own fight commanded his attention. He would have to trust that Naruto was truly as good as both he and the boy himself believed.

"It has been the dream of nearly every member of the Swordsmen since our founding to test ourselves against a Shugorei in mortal combat. Of my brethren who have met such challenges few have lived to tell of it. Those who did spoke of feats almost beyond comprehension, of jutsu that were unlike any others, about swords that are not truly swords," Zabuza said, eager anticipation beginning to creep into his tone. "To meet a Shugorei in battle is a deed worthy of remembrance, to triumph against one an even greater accomplishment. I have every intention to add my own name to those proud few who have been victorious in their encounters."

"So you would seek to triumph over a boy who is just becoming a teenager?" Kakashi noted, a sardonic tone stealing into his voice as he tried to deflect Zabuza's interest. "I would hardly call that a worthy challenge. It seems I've misjudged you. You've fallen lower than I could've possibly imagined."

"Bah! Do you take for a fool, Copy-nin? While I doubt that they truly begin combat training for a child the moment he or she exists their mother's womb, I am almost certain that such an anecdote is not too far removed from the truth. That boy is far more combat capable than any other near his age and I shall not be denied another chance to face him in battle!" Momochi Zabuza barked. "I, like all of my peers, have heard the tales, studied and committed to memory what facts are known, repeatedly gone over every single rumor and myth attributed to the Shugorei in the hopes of gleaning even the tiniest hint of their true abilities. No other shinobi clan can claim the long and storied history that they can and no other has kept themselves more wrapped in mystery and legend than they have."

Once again Kakashi found that he could not wholly disagree with his opponent. Clan Shugorei was one of the oldest clans, if not the first _true_ shinobi clan if the rumors and myths were to be believed. Even coming from Konoha, having served alongside many Shugorei in the past, having been the student of a man wed to one of their strongest warriors, he could honestly admit that his actual knowledge of the clan's history and full abilities was paltry at best.

"_I doubt even the Sandaime knows the full extent of their secrets… and Naruto, if his conduct has been any indication, has fully inherited the Shugorei love of secrets,"_ the Copy-nin silently mulled, knowing that the Shugorei never revealed anything unless they wanted it to be known and that getting anything out of Naruto at times was worse than trying to get blood from a stone. _"All the more reason to end this fight soon, can't risk Zabuza discovering more than he already has."_

Reaching into his thigh holster to pull out the last kunai remaining there Kakashi knew that the time to end this skirmish had come.

* * *

Haku was not enjoying his situation at all. Dodging around the spiked fist of the blond genin he had confronted the fake hunter-nin let out a muffled gasp of shock as the spikes seemed to ablate only for a wickedly pointed blade to suddenly extend from the top of the gauntleted wrist. Using a quick burst of chakra to his feet the long haired boy barely made it out of the range of the razor sharp blade. Skidding to a stop Haku reached up to his chest to find a small, clean slice in the material of his battle kimono just below his sternum.

"_The information we had said that a Shugorei's sword could transform, but I never imagined…,"_ the long haired teen pondered, having been taken aback by the initial transformation itself. _"To release so much chakra…his speed has almost doubled and…."_

As if to confirm Haku's thoughts Naruto was suddenly back in the face of the teenager. Ducking below a left cross that would have taken off his head the long haired boy used the chance to fall into a front sweep kick. However, instead of connecting with his foe's ankle as intended Haku found the other boy easily stepping back out of the range of his leg before shooting back towards him, right fist cocked and ready to deliver. Not waiting to find out if the blond genin's strength had increased along with his speed Haku rolled into a backwards somersault, barely making it clear as an armored fist crashed down into the pavement, deeply cracking it.

Coming out of the quick evasion in a tucked position Haku didn't hesitate, finding the cool touch of metal with his fingers the fake Kiri hunter let fly a dozen senbon towards the blond. Almost letting a grin form under his masked face as the needles flew straight and true Haku felt his eyes widen as the supposed Shugorei seemed to simply disappear.

"_Shunshin?! No, it was too fast to be…,"_ the dark haired teenager thought quickly before suddenly sensing the presence behind him.

Turning his head slightly Haku's eyes widened even further in shocked horror as he saw two incredibly sharp blades coming in straight at his head, attached to those blades was an unmistakable whiskered blond. The only thing that saved the masked teen was the fact that his training kicked in for as he had turned his head his hands had immediately pulled several more senbon out of the hidden pouches in his kimono. Said needles were now gripped tightly in his fists as he desperately tried to parry the razor sharp, katar like blades.

Unfortunately for the fake hunter-nin the attempt to parry only partially worked. Haku could only stare in absolute horror as the cerulean-eyed Shugorei's blades cut through the thin senbon. The only thing that saved Zabuza's tool was the fact that the senbon he held in either hand weren't separated but rather bundled together. Together the thin needles slowed down the blades as the cut through. It wasn't much but it did allow Haku to roll out of the way at the last possible second. However, despite the miraculous dodge Haku still felt the delicate kiss of the blades upon his left shoulder.

Continuing his roll, hoping the light mail shirt he wore underneath his kimono had been enough to stop glancing blow from the razor sharp blades, the young teenager used his momentum to push into a forward handspring. Twisting in the air in an amazing feat of acrobatic ability the fake Kirigakure hunter began to form several one handed seals with his left hand. Landing feet first in a puddle before pushing off again in order to continue putting distance between himself and his adversary, the long haired teen managed to kick much of the disturbed water up into the air.

Finishing his seals and seeing the blond barreling straight towards the water that had been kicked up, Haku yelled out, "Sensatsu Suishou!"

The effect was almost instantaneous as the rising water immediately turned into sharply pointed needles that shot towards the aggressive Shugorei. Seeing the Konoha-nin's sparkling blue eyes widen slightly in surprise Haku let a small grin form under his hunter's mask, only for that grin to quickly die. Instead of seeing the whiskered blond dodge like before Haku could only watch as the slightly younger boy bulled through the shower of water needles, his gauntleted arms up in a parallel block as the blades slid back, all but vanishing from sight, as the armored forearm plates widened out into small, angled shields.

Seeing his many water needles ping off the buckler like accretions as the blond Shugorei continued his charge Haku leapt away once again.

"_Damn it!"_ Haku silently cursed, one of the few times he allowed himself to do so as he kicked off the pavement and moved into a perfect butterfly twist. _"With the hand-to-hand abilities he demonstrated last time we fought coupled together with those gauntlets and the increase in speed and power he got with them…. I can't risk fighting at close quarters with him. Gotta keep my distance and fight him from at least medium range."_

Coming out of his butterfly twist, Haku silently swore once again as he immediately began to backpedaling. Despite using several acrobatic and moving at his top speed, the fake hunter-nin saw that his opponent was keeping right with him. Tossing a spread of senbon Haku knew that most would ping off the genin's gauntlets. However, from the way he angled the dozen senbon as he threw, the long haired teen hoped that a few might find purchase somewhere on the blond boy…or at the very least provide something of a distraction.

Not wasting any time as he continued to backpedal away, moving further and further down the bridge from where Zabuza had engaged Copy-nin Kakashi, Haku began to form handseals. This time, however, the mask wearing teenager used both of his hands to consecutively form different strings of one handed seals. Utilizing his Kekkei Genkai to coalesce the sizable amount of water for the two jutsu he was about launch, not too difficult a task considering just how saturated air was with mist, Haku looked to see that his opponent was still coming on strong.

"Running away are ya?!" Naruto taunted his opponent as he swatted away two of the senbon heading for his legs, not enjoying the teen's silence and the fact that he couldn't read the older boy's face because of the mask. "Not too bad a tactic all things considered…. However, sooner or later I'm going to catch you and…."

"Catch this!" Haku interrupted, his yell stripped of any emotion by his hunter's mask as he utilized the jutsu he had been forming with his right hand. "Hyouton: Tsubame Fubuki!"

As the words left his mouth Haku saw the confusion etched upon the blond genin's face. That confusion didn't last long as from the mist behind the fake hunter-nin shot forth a fair sized flock of swallows made completely from ice. Rather than blocking the blue crystalline birds with his gauntlets as he had against the senbon and water needles previously shot at him, Haku watched the whiskered blond disappear with his inhuman speed to reappear several yards to the left of where he had been, landing upon the railing at the edge of the bridge.

"Cute birds," Naruto began to mordantly tease, watching the frozen swallows past through the spot he had been standing. "Very pre-…."

Whatever the blue eyed blond had been going to say died as he suddenly witnessed the icy birds make a looping turn and speed straight towards him. Using his speed once again to dodge Naruto found that it mattered little as the swallows were tracking him almost perfectly.

Watching as the blue-eye Shugorei tried to escape his frozen swallows Haku finished pushing chakra into the jutsu he had been forming in his left hand while he had formed the Tsubame Fubuki with his right. With nary a sound five perfectly formed Mizu Bunshin stepped out of the mist to flank Haku on either side.

"You know what to do," the original said, receiving a silent nod from each of his clones as they disappeared into the mists that had spawned them. His plan to contain the Shugorei was evolving beyond what he had initially decided.

"Shakkahou!"

Hearing the sudden cry Haku spied a hand sized ball of red flame smash into the front of the flock of swallows pursuing the Konoha genin. The teenage hunter frowned as he sensed the loss of some of his icy birds. His grimace deepened further as Haku spied the blond boy's hands suddenly taking on a bluish glow.

"Soukatsui!"

Rather than releasing another red fireball, this time Haku watched as his opponent threw his hands together and launched a far larger bluish-white blast. The impact of the jutsu was far more devastating than its predecessor, impacting with the large group of remaining swallows and vaporizing them all in one spectacular blast.

"_I can't keep fighting him this way," _Haku thought quickly as he spied Naruto turning away from the far railing he was near to look towards the long haired teenager. _"Forgive me Zabuza-sama, but I can no longer continue this fight along the lines of simply containing this boy…not if I wish to succeed."_ Sensing through his Kekkei Genkai where his clones were positioned Haku nodded to himself, _"It is time that I conduct this fight on my own terms."_

"C'mon!" Naruto suddenly shouted, whipping his hands to his sides, his twin blades extending back out from his gauntlets, "Is that the best you got?"

"Hardly," Haku answered, his Mizu Bunshin suddenly revealing themselves to be almost right on top of the Shugorei.

The first water clone came at Naruto head on only to be bisected with a single downward stroke from the boy's right blade. At the same time the bleu-eyed blond Pivoted hard to bring his left blade around and up in a diagonal slash that decapitated a second water clone. Watching as his last three clones met a similar fate Haku charged in, his right hand flashing through a quick set of seals.

Finishing the last seal as he closed to within ten feet of his opponent Haku cried out, "Suigadan!"

From the puddles created from the Mizu Bunshin several spinning torrents erupted and arced straight towards a surprised blond. With the drill like tendrils right on top of him due to the close proximity of the fallen water clones, Naruto barely had time to bring his armored forearms up to block before the water smashed straight into him. The force of the chakra laced waters was too much and with no time to utilize Shunpo the young Shugorei found himself being knocked over the railing and over the side of the bridge.

Only a few steps behind as the waters from his technique drained the last of the puddles Haku came to stand upon the railing that he had just knocked the blond over. Staring down towards the dark blue waters beneath the bridge the fake hunter-nin watched as the Shugorei and the waters of the Suigadan impacted with the ocean. Not even waiting for the splash and spray to dissipate Haku leapt down after his opponent.

* * *

"Whoa! My hands are huuuuuge!"

Hearing the drawling remark Hyuuga Hinata, her Byakugan activated in order to see through the mist that shrouded the bridge, could not help but let out an exasperated sigh as Uchiha Sasuke suddenly let out a crazed giggle. Supporting the dark haired boy using her own, smaller, body and trying to get him to a relative safe spot on the bridge was not as easy as Hinata had expected; especially when he kept making numerous movements with his arms and legs, torpid though they may be. For some reason the Uchiha heir had been acting strange since she had finished wrapping his wounds after removing the senbon that had been stuck in him. If she didn't know that he had just been in a fight and not out drinking Hinata would've sworn that her fellow genin was drunk.

"They can touch anything but themselves," Sasuke continued, before pausing as his hands came together in front of his face in a light clap. "Whoa!"

"Sasuke-san, please…please try and get a hold of yourself. This…this is not the time for…for you to be…," Hinata began to say only for her to stop, her face suddenly going beet red as her Byakugan deactivated.

"Hehe, squishy…," the Sharingan user giggled as he copped a feel of the pale girl's developing bosom.

It took every ounce of will power in that moment for Hinata not to simply scream, drop Sasuke onto the pavement, and then proceed to slap him silly before fainting dead away in embarrassment.

"Sa-suke-san…," Hinata growled, her saintly patience finally having been pushed to the absolute limit.

"What the hell happened to him?!"

Hearing the sudden question Hinata looked to its source, spying Tazuna staring at her and the boy she was dragging. The old bridge builder was looking from around the construction supplies and equipment he had taken cover behind when the fighting had begun. Coming out from his hiding place the old man moved towards Hinata, seemingly intent on helping her with the other genin.

"Heeey," Sasuke drawled as his head lolled to the side and he saw Tazuna, "I know you."

Brow furrowed at how Sasuke giggled after his statement, Tazuna looked to the pale eyed girl, "Has he been…_Drinking_?"

With a shake of her head Hinata answered the old bridge builder as he helped her move the bandaged boy over to cover, "It would appear that Sasuke-san has a poor constitution when it comes to painkillers"

"How many did you give him?" Tazuna asked fending off the dark haired boy's hand as it tried to tug on his beard.

"One."

"One?" the old bridge builder remarked disbelievingly. "Damn this kid's a super lightweight."

Hinata couldn't help but nod in agreement. Being a proper Hyuuga, as well as the first born child of the current Head of the Clan, she had attended quite a number of functions where alcohol had been served to those of proper drinking age. On such occasions she had seen more than a few shinobi of both genders, some of them her own clansmen and women, imbibe more than they should have. She would've never of guessed that a simple ampoule of pain killer could have the same effects as multiple drinks, especially after such medication had been administered to her own teammates with no such ill effects.

"Tazuna-san, please keep him here," the young kunoichi requested as she turned away from her wounded comrade.

"Where you going?" the bespectacled man asked as he looked up from helping get the Uchiha further behind a steel beam.

"Sakura…she was unconscious the last time I checked, I…I have to go help her," the pale eyed girl stated slowly.

Tazuna nodded in understanding. From what he had observed of the Konoha-nin since dragging them into this mess he had deduced that they fiercely stuck to the creed of not leaving anyone behind. Right now he could see the small dark haired girl preparing to go back out into the mist to fulfill that promise.

"Once I get Sakura back here I'll…," Hinata paused for a moment, lost for a second in contemplation. "Naruto…Naruto-kun is…."

Tazuna, having listened to the girl and heard the hesitation in her voice, let out a sigh as he spoke, "Look, I won't even begin to pretend to understand half the stuff you ninjas can do, but I'd have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to have noticed the power that kid released not too long ago. You're a brave girl, one of the bravest and strongest I've ever met…, but that boy's on a whole different level."

Hinata faltered in mid-step as she heard Tazuna. She had been tending Sasuke's wounds when the wave of chakra had coursed through the mist and washed over her. Despite being cowed by the power inherent in the wave Hinata had done what she had been taught as a Hyuuga, she had activated her Byakugan to search for the source of the disturbance. What she had seen….

Never had Hinata witnessed such an amazing and terrifying sight. The power that pulsed and rippled off of Naruto was greater than she had ever imagined the blond haired boy possessing. Bright blue charka rose and fell as it swirled about the boy she had long pined for and amidst that she had seen…_it_…again. Hinata didn't know what it was, but deep within Naruto she had noticed a splash of crimson, a chakra far more concentrated and powerful than even what her father and the Hokage possessed.

In no one else had she seen this crimson chakra, only in Naruto had she ever caught sight of it. Adding to the peculiarity of the crimson chakra was the fact that Naruto had what appeared to possess additional chakra coils, a set of them spiraling around the area where the crimson chakra would often appear. All of this just added to the uneasiness and confusion she now had about the blond boy she….

"Look, I've seen the way you look at him," Tazuna said, breaking through Hinata's contemplation. "You've got feelings for him, but don't let yourself go off half-…."

"I…," the Hyuuga heiress tried to speak, her eyes downcast before she screwed them shut, "I'm sorry!"

With that sharp cry the Hyuuga heiress took off, running blindly into the mist not hearing Tazuna yelling after her. Doubt and confusion plaguing her, about herself, about the blond boy she had admired, about the boy she thought she may love, Hinata continued to run. Eyes shut it was only a matter of time before the small kunoichi stumbled and tripped. Catching herself before she could hit the pavement Hinata opened her pale eyes, tears once again having formed in them.

Looking around the young girl cursed herself for stupidly running headlong out into the dense fog, for not having reactivated her Byakugan in order to see through the haze. Steadying herself, focusing herself to remember the breathing exercises that she had been taught since she was little, Hinata drew in a calming breathe as she brought her hands up in front of her. Making the seal of the goat the Hyuuga heiress focused her chakra, the veins and chakra coils near her eyes becoming engorged as her Byakugan activated. Almost immediately the dark haired kunoichi spied a body lying on the ground.

Letting out a gasp as the chakra in the body was fading fast Hinata sprinted towards it sliding the straps of her backpack off her shoulders so that she could easily begin to access the inner pouch. To her knowledge Sakura was supposed to be unconscious from what she had seen earlier, but that didn't mean that the pink haired kunoichi was necessarily alright. Thoughts of the other genin kunoichi being hurt raced through Hinata's mind, of her awaking and stumbling around in the mist only to pass out once again and dash her head on the concrete as she collapsed, of accidentally getting caught in the crossfire of the skirmishes that Naruto and Kakashi were involved in.

"Sakura!" the pale eyed girl lightly cried out in worry as she dropped to a knee next to the body setting her bag of medical supplies down, only to suddenly realize that the body did not belong to the other kunoichi.

Standing back up, her Byakugan fading, Hinata looked down at the body of Meizu and realized what she had seen. The younger Demon Brother was dead, the faint chakra signature that had been present a mere shadow of the life that had left his body. Stepping back from the dead man Hinata fought down the wave of nausea that passed through her. Closing her eyes and steadying her breathing the young kunoichi prepared herself to continue searching for Sakura. However, the sickening sound of metal impacting flesh and a warm stickiness splattering her right cheek halted her.

Slowly raising her right hand up to touch her cheek, her eyes open in terror, Hinata found blood on her fingers. Looking down she found more of the sticky red liquid staining her cream colored jacket. Stunned, the only comfort that the Hyuuga heiress found at that moment was the fact that the blood was not hers. The blood had come from the dead Meizu, a thick piece of rebar having speared his head and split it like an overripe melon.

Hearing the 'plinking' of metal on concrete Hinata looked up from herself and the dead body of the younger Demon Brother. Emerging from the mist Haruno Sakura carried a two and a half foot long piece of rebar in her right hand, the jagged tip bouncing or rather being tapped on the ground as the pink haired girl walked.

"**Looks like he's done playing with us,"** the kunoichi of Team 7 stated matter-of-factly as she brought the piece of rebar in her grip up to rest on her right shoulder. **"Who can we get to play with Us next?"**

"Sa-…Sakura…," Hinata sputtered out, shocked and horrified by what the other girl had apparently just done.

Turning her head ever so slowly, the pink haired girl turned her gaze from the man she had not only killed but whose corpse she had just mutilated. Spying Hinata a sickly sweet smile split the face of the red dress wearing kunoichi.

"Sakura, are you…are you okay? Are you hurt?" Hinata asked, cringing slightly as she stared into the girl's green eyes and noted that there was something…_off_ in them.

"**Hehe,"** Sakura suddenly giggled before speaking with a singsong tone to her voice. **"Shall we play a game…Hi-na-ta-**_**Chan**_**?!**

**

* * *

**

"_Heh, this is actually turning out to be a pretty good fight."_

Opening and closing his eyes for a moment, the salty water stinging the sensitive organs, Shugorei 'Uzumaki' Naruto could not help but let a small grin cross his face. Drifting in the inky blue the young Shugorei heir could see a soft light playing over the water's surface several yards above him. Despite the fact that he had been knocked of the bridge and suffered a rather nasty fall, the whiskered blond could not help but think of how peaceful it was hovering here amidst the sea.

"_**Oh yeah, real peaceful…. If you're done enjoying your 'break', there is the small matter of drowning to be concerned with."**_

"_You worry too much sometimes Konoe,"_ the young genin silently responded. _"Other than being a little sore I'm perfectly fine, the jutsu and the resulting fall merely caught me off guard."_

"_**Yes, well," **_the spirit of the Zanpakuto began, _**"I would be remiss if I didn't remind you that your current opponent seems to posses a unique talent in controlling water…. A substance you are very much immersed in!**_

"_Hai, Hai…," _Naruto glibly responded before doing a half turn as he kicked towards the surface.

Breaching the surface, getting wave to the face for his troubles, the Shugorei heir took in a fresh breathe, having exhaled as he ascended from the depths. Shaking his head to try and get the water out of his ears the boy frowned as he found that he had gotten a mess of seaweed in his hair upon surfacing. Pulling the greenish-brown plant from his sun-kissed hair the boy looked around only to spy the ominous grey form of the mist shrouded bridge looming above him.

"_Man, I really need to learn how to walk on water," _the whiskered blond mused as he began swimming towards the nearest pylon. _"After we get out of this I'm…."_

Naruto trailed off as his senses suddenly screamed at him. Turning as quickly as he could in the water the genin's blue eyes narrowed as they came to rest upon the form of his opponent. The kimono wearing teenager was standing on top of the water, completely as ease as waves raised and lowered him.

"You are completely at my mercy Shugorei-san," the fake Hunter-nin intoned impassively. "Please, do not make this hard upon yourself."

Giving a cocksure grin as he treaded water Naruto responded, "Sorry, but I don't do surrender."

"It is not surrender," Haku spoke up quickly. "Zabuza-sama wishes to fight you; I am merely asking you to wait for…."

"Yeah, you see, waiting sounds an awful like defeat considering our positions," the Shugorei heir interrupted. "Besides, you and I have business to finish. If Zabuza wants a fight _he'll_ have to wait until I'm done beating _your_ ass."

"So be it," the long haired teen remarked coldly as he made a single handseal with both hands. "Suiton: Daibakuryuu no Jutsu."

"_Oh Crap!"_ was the only thing Naruto could think at that moment as the water around him suddenly turned into a swirling vortex and sucked him under.

* * *

"Sit-rep!"

Not even waiting to dismount from his horse Tai-sa Yatamaro Shin, Executive Officer of the Princess Ryoko's personal regiment, was already barking orders as he came upon the forward site set up by the regiment's combat engineers and scout platoons. Truthfully he would've rather been back at the base camp helping to organize the massive war machine made up of six regular line regiments and one elite irregular regiment, but he had been handed his marching orders by Ryoko herself. Now at the site that would act as the launch platform for the entire invasion Shin, along with the cavalry company that had accompanied him, began to carry out those orders in earnest.

"Sir!" a young private snapped a smart salute as he came to attention.

"Stop saluting _Kid_, we're on the frontline," a gruff man sporting the chevrons of a Master Sergeant on his light, recon armor growled not too far behind his young trooper. "Or are you trying to get the Tai-sa picked off by the enemy?"

The realization that he may have just identified a command officer to any lucky enemy scout that may happen to be in the area caused the 'Kid' to visibly pale even though his face was covered in the myriad green and browns of forestry camo paint. Seeing the reaction of the young private reminded Shin of the days when he had been a mere 'grunt' and not part of the 'brass', as his old training officer once said, 'there's nothing so much like god on earth as a general on a battlefield'. Of course the man had been actually quoting a long dead military commander from before The Catastrophe, whose name had been subsequently lost to the annals of history, but Shin still had a hard time reconciling the meaning of the quote in application to himself. After all, he was still only a colonel, even if he was the princess's second in command and right hand.

"Sir, I…I'm dreadfully sorry, Sir!" the young trooper responded quickly before realizing he was still holding his salute. The speed which he dropped his hand and paled further was almost comical.

"Save it _Kid_, the Tai-sa ain't interested in your apologies anymore than I am," the sergeant snarled, shooting the young man a harsh glare. "Be glad we'll be entering combat soon 'cuz if we weren't you'd be reciting for me every reg from the field manual while I PT your ass! Now get over with the rest of the squad and help those engineers with their toys…and try not to break anything!"

"Sir, Yes Sir!"

Watching the private hurry off Shin let a small smile form on his face as he swung down out of his saddle, "A little harsh on him weren't you Kenji?"

"Just 'cuz everyone's running around all excited about the chance for combat don't mean they should be forgetting combat discipline…," Kenji replied with a matching smile before adding, "…Sir."

Shin could only shake his head as he let out a low chuckle. Back when he had just gotten out of officer training, the ink on his lieutenant's commission barely dry, he had been handed a platoon of raw recruits from his home province. Kenji had been one those fresh faced recruits, eager to fight and win glory while not realizing his own naivety. It had taken a few months of training to shape the man into a proper soldier, but now, a major war and a minor war plus numerous skirmishes later, the man was the epitome of what a Noncom should be.

"That they shouldn't," the large colonel responded sharing a grin with one of his most loyal war dogs before switching back over to command mode as the rest of his group deployed around the camp. "What's our situation up here?"

"So far so good Sir," the gruff master sergeant answered. "The engineers are pulling everything together and are promising that the bridging equipment will be ready to go as soon as the order is given. I've got part of 3rd platoon giving them a hand and making sure they deliver as promised. Lieutenant Katsuragi's got 2nd platoon guarding the perimeter; you rode through her pickets…."

Shin nodded, he had indeed come upon 2nd platoon and their Chu-i. Katsuragi had done a damn fine job of getting her men into carefully concealed positions to defend the staging site. His lead cavalryman would've probably run over her and her troopers without ever realizing that they were there if a sentry hadn't stepped out and demanded they identify themselves.

"Where're Tai-i Yoshio and Chu-i Takakura?" Shin asked, suddenly realizing as he turned his salt and pepper haired head that the Master Sergeant was the highest ranked member of the scout company present.

"They're up _scouting_ the enemy position with part of 1st platoon…," Kenji trailed off lightly before continuing, "…relieved me and sent me back here to organize things."

Hearing that, Tai-sa Yatamaro Shin ground his teeth lightly in frustration. While the Master Sergeant hadn't just come out and said anything Shin had been a soldier long enough to read between the lines. Yoshio and Takakura had gotten excited and joined the main observation team after enemy movement on the bridge had been confirmed, probably hoping to see more action and be the first across and onto the bridge when the time came. In doing so the two had forgotten their duties as officers, especially Yoshio. As a Captain and the officer in charge of the site the man should've been back here organizing and readying things as well as the one giving the report.

"If you ask me, they're a bit too…_noble_, Sir," the gruff sergeant added.

Having been a grunt himself long before becoming an officer Shin easily picked up on the slight insult aimed at the two wayward officers. Neither Yoshio nor Takakura were actually from one of the families making up the aristocracy, though Yoshio was the second son of a rather prominent businessman who had bankrolled the campaigns of several members of parliament, but that didn't matter. The term _'noble'_ had long been used as a slur by enlisted men towards officers who forgot their duty and decided to do something foolish instead, usually out of a desire to earn _honor_ and _glory_. Most often such officers were members or progeny of the nobility, thus the origin of the slur, seeing as such officers had traditionally gained most of their training in one of the prestigious military academies and had very little actual field experience. However, over time it had become an insult applicable to any officer, aristocrat or commoner, or new soldier who did something…stupid.

"What was the situation on the bridge before you were…relieved?" Shin asked, deciding he would _speak_ with the two officers once he had a full handle of the situation.

"Sir, the bridge is misted over almost completely, extending out onto the water in all directions for about twenty to thirty yards," the tough recon sergeant answered. "It's making getting any type of visuals next to impossible. However, just before I was sent back here we did catch a small break."

"You saw something?"

"Yes Sir," Kenji replied swiftly. "Just before I left there was…I guess it would be best to describe it as an explosion."

"An explosion?" Shin asked. He didn't like the sound of that. "Was the bridge damaged?"

"Not that we could tell Sir. We're calling it an explosion because it released a pretty good sized pressure wave as well as a brilliant light," the Master Sergeant clarified. "Nearest we can tell one of the shinobi fighting on the bridge released a large burst of chakra. It thinned out the mist enough to get a few visuals, but the mist reformed not too long after."

Chewing his lip lightly in contemplation the large muscular Colonel racked his brain adding this new information into what he already knew. Ryoko had called him to her tent last night after receiving a message from Konoha. The scroll had confirmed what the forward observation post had been seeing over the last few days, Konoha had shinobi deployed in Wave, though from the Sandaime Hokage's words the situation was rather complicated and not at all meant to preempt Ryoko's own military actions. Already the information had been put to good use, helping to identify Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura, two of the genin under the command of Hatake Kakashi, the Copy-nin already having been identified seeing as he was quite well known in military circles.

"What'd we get?"

"Well we haven't gotten any of the pictures developed yet, but I can tell you this," Kenji remarked, his tone completely serious, "That burst of power did not come from Hatake Kakashi or the guy he's fighting."

Now that caught Shin's attention.

"From what I could see through my binoculars the explosion originated from some blond kid," the sergeant stated, giving an answer before the question of 'who' was asked. "I wish I could say more about him but I only caught sight of him as the light surrounding him died down and then he was only there for a few seconds before seeming to disappear. One of my guys thought he caught sight of him after, but the mist rolled back in before we could confirm."

"_A blond…. So, we've got at least one of the Konoha teams fighting an unknown group of enemy shinobi on the bridge and then this blond kid we aren't sure of…," _Shin pondered as he assessed the situation. When he had listened to the Benihime rant over receiving the message he had noticed that she had paid heed to one name in particular, someone that the burly Tai-sa had never heard of before but whom the Benihime obviously knew personally._ "I wonder…."_

"Sir…," Kenji broke through his commander's thoughts, "…we're still going to deploy, right? I mean, I'd hate to have gotten all dressed up only for the party to be canceled."

"Yes, the party is still on," the burly Tai-sa stated with a small grin. "Ryoko-hime is bringing the rest of the _Irregulars_ up as we speak and the others should be falling in behind her."

"Good…," the Master Sergeant commented, his deadpan humor showing through, "I was getting tired of waiting."

"Oh the waiting is over, old friend," Shin said as he began to walk over to where the engineers were, Kenji following right behind. "In fact we'll be kicking this party off with a rather nice surprise."

With a quirked eyebrow, painted over in a green camo stripe, Kenji asked, "Surprise? That wouldn't be part of the scuttlebutt I've heard about Ryoko-hime procuring some sort of wonder weapons, would it?"

Turning his salt and pepper haired head slightly to glance back, Shin crisply replied, "I could give you the whole 'Need-To-Know' line, but that's not really necessary…."

Hearing his commander trail off Kenji looked to the larger man only to see him no longer looking in his direction. Following the Tai-sa's gaze the Master Sergeant saw a dozen horses drawing tarp covered masses into the knot of engineers near the bridging equipment. Accompanying each horse and its wheeled load was a contingent of four men wearing a version of the light recon armor with the only difference being that theirs was a light blue in color rather than a myriad of greens, browns, and black. While the mysterious cargo intrigued him Kenji found something else grabbing his immediate attention. Each of the four men had a unique, orange insignia on the upper left part of their breastplates. Kenji knew he had seen that insignia before, but he couldn't place exactly where.

"Sho-sa Tetsuhara and his men will be setting up nearby," Shin spoke, breaking into the thoughts of the sergeant. "Make sure your men stay out of his way and the way of his unit. My cavalry will also assist. Oh, and send a runner to tell Tai-i Yoshio and Chu-i Takakura that I would like a word with them."

"Yes Sir."

Giving a nod of approval as the Master Sergeant began to issues the necessary commands Tai-sa Yatamaro Shin turned and began to walk towards Tetsuhara. He wanted to make sure that the Major had everything well in hand. It wouldn't do to have Ryoko-hime's prizes inoperable when the time came.

* * *

_**AN:**__ Yeah, I've decided that I'm never going to specify, even vaguely, when a chapter will be released as ultimately it seems that complications arise. This may be an instance of correlation without causation, but it seems that every time I have stated a potential date or timeframe in which a new chapter should be released said chapter ends up being delayed. I don't know if I'm jinxing myself or what, but from now on I am not going to talk about when future chapters will be posted; they'll be up when they're up._

_I would like to clarify that I had previously stated that this would be the last chapter of the 'Wave Arc'. This will not be the case, as you most likely have noticed in this chapter, mainly because the original compilation of this chapter was growing far too massive. The second half, and hopefully, conclusion of the 'Wave Arc', is still undergoing revisions and may end up being divided into smaller chapters. I'm not sure exactly what will happen as I had a difficult enough time getting this chapter edited to my liking given the complexities of my life at the moment._

_On a more positive note I would like to once again thank all of you who have taken the time to leave reviews. Your comments, feedback, and support are greatly appreciated. You do not know just how helpful at times you truly are, helping me to focus, identifying areas that I need to cover better, and just showing me that my efforts to create a worthwhile story have not been in vain. Thank you all and I hope you continue to enjoy the story._

_**Tyrchon**_

Jutsu Report (Konoha Classified Information)

**Suiton: Daibakuryuu no Jutsu** – The _Great Exploding Current _technique is a strong ninjutsu when used under specific conditions. The two main conditions for the technique are to first have a large source of water, preferably anything larger than a pond, and second to be fighting on said source of water or to at least have your target positioned upon that source. Theses conditions are necessary for the proper use of this technique seeing as how this particular ninjutsu creates a swirling vortex of water that take almost anything on the surface and suck it down into the depths below. Depending upon the amount of control and chakra used a shinobi utilizing this technique can literally drown almost anything in this artificial whirlpool. Indeed there are reports of jounin and higher level ninja using this technique to sink large ships.

**Suiton:Mizu Kamakiri** – The _Rising Water Cutter_ is a dangerous ninjutsu technique when properly utilized. By using chakra to compress ground water or any nearby source of water a user can create a high pressured jet that will rise up and shoot forward along the curvature of the ground. When traveling across the ground the rising jet will leave a shallow furrow behind it as it slices the ground. Because the jet of water is so highly pressurized it can easily cut through many materials, most notably solid rock. Users of this technique most often deploy it by striking the ground with their fist or foot after completing the necessary handseals. There are, however, users who can utilize this jutsu without the need to strike the ground in order to launch it; mostly users who are jounin level or higher.

**Suiton: Suigadan** – Using nearby sources of water a user of this ninjutsu technique can create a spinning drill to attack his opponent. The _Water Fang Projectile_ is interesting in the fact that depending upon the amount of chakra pumped into it the jutsu can form one large drill or multiple smaller drills. While the technique does not have the ability to pierce most materials it does bring a considerable amount of force to smash into a target. Many shinobi will use this technique to set up larger techniques and/or to implement strategies that will allow them to finish off their opponent.

**Hyouton: Tsubame Fubuki** – The _Snow Storm Swallows_ are quite aptly named. Using readily available ice or by freezing a nearby source of water the user of this ninjutsu technique forms a flock of frozen birds resembling swallows. Flying through the air quite quickly the flock of frozen birds is incredibly dangerous. The icy wings and beak of each swallow is razor sharp, known to cut through boiled leather armor and even into some types of light mail. However, what truly makes this technique deadly is that fact that once launched the flock of birds will home in on the intended target until they or the target are destroyed. This particular jutsu is rather unique in that it has only been seen being utilized by shinobi from a clan originating in the Land of Water, leading some to believe that it is part of a Kekkei Genkai. Interestingly enough the technique has not been reported being seen in almost a decade lending credence to the thought of it being a Kekkei Genkai technique, seeing as how the advanced bloodline limit possessing clans of the Country of Water have been wiped out during that country's civil war. Rumors of the technique still being used do persist however, particularly in the Land of Snow. Whether this is true could mean that members of the clan were able to escape the genocide perpetrated by Kirigakure or that the technique is not part of a Kekkei Genkai as previously supposed. _**{Special Note: Further information on this subject is classified.}**_

**Sensatou Suishou** – Another appropriately named technique the _Death by a Thousand Flying Water Needles_ technique is a ninjutsu that little is actually known about. What is known is that the user will use a nearby source of water to create numerous needles of water. These needles are just as sharp if not more so than regular senbon. While this technique has been seen being used by ninja from both Kirigakure and Amegakure it is those from Kiri that are the most intriguing. Reports over the years tell of shinobi from Kirigakure who form the technique using a single hand to do seals. In contrast every report of this technique being used by Amegakure shinobi notes that both hands are needed to form the necessary seals. In addition to the ability to apparently form the technique using one handed seals another interesting note about its use by Kiri-nin is that sometimes the needles are not merely water but actually ice. This has lead to the speculation that this is a technique of a Kekkei Genkai possessing clan, a speculation bolstered by the fact that those from Kirigakure who use the technique have also been reported as having used **Hyouton: Tsubame Fubuki**. However, this can neither be confirmed nor denied due to the wiping out of all advanced bloodline limit possessing clans in the Land of Water during that country's civil war. Similar xenophobic tendencies in the Country of Rain have made it difficult to gain further information form that particular end. _**{Special Note: Further information on this subject is classified.}**_


End file.
